Testimonials

"I have had the pleasure to work with integrative practitioners in veterinary school and multiple clinics upon graduation. Seeing what they can offer to their patients and the benefits firsthand, inspired me to pursue training in acupuncture. I chose CIVT’s Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Acupuncture course due to their excellent instructors and flexibility with self-paced online learning. This made it possible to complete the course while continuing to work full time and be with my family. The course was fantastic with great lectures and hands-on experience opportunities and instructors/mentors. I am so excited to have completed the course and received my Graduate Diploma qualification. Being able to offer integrative options to my patients and see the results from my recommendations and treatment plans has been exceptional. I am excited to continue to grow within this amazing field of veterinary medicine.”

Dr Megan Dayton Milford

DVM, CVNN, GDVA

United States of America

“I was inspired to study acupuncture by the gap often left by Western treatment, especially in musculoskeletal cases, and striving to provide options for clients outside of the standard Western toolbox. I found the Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Acupuncture course to be very informative and comprehensive. It has given me confidence and options for case management and when talking to clients and other professionals using acupuncture and herbs.” 

Dr Katherine Dodd

BVSc/BVetBio, BAppSc (Eq), GDVA

Australia

“My love for plants and gardening has always been a big part of who I am. Over time, I became deeply interested in living sustainably and naturally and started using herbal medicine for my own health. As a conventional veterinarian, I began to struggle with the realization that the natural way I was caring for myself didn’t align with how I was caring for my patients. I was also feeling burnt out in veterinary medicine and searching for a way to make my work feel meaningful again. Eventually, I stumbled upon CIVT. 

I had no prior experience with integrative medicine when I enrolled in CIVT’s Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine. I was drawn to Western herbal medicine because it aligned with my scientific mindset while still honoring the natural foundations of healing. The course was comprehensive, evidence-based, and truly eye-opening. It gave me the tools, confidence, and perspective to integrate herbal medicine into my work, and it completely reshaped how I practice and think about healing. Most importantly, it taught me to listen to my patients and their people again. This program didn’t just change how I practice - it gave me back the joy and meaning of veterinary medicine I thought I’d lost somewhere along the way.”

Dr Zach Lane

DVM, GDVWHM

United States of America

“As the daughter of two conventional human general practitioners, I spent most of my life carrying a strong skepticism for any complementary, integrative, or natural therapies. After practicing conventional small animal medicine for ten years, I was inspired to learn more about integrative medicine after my clients started requesting more natural therapies, and I saw the benefit of naturopathic therapies with my own health. I'd heard great things about CIVT, so after browsing the courses I decided to dive into the Certification in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine, with plans to continue on with the Graduate Diploma course if I could manage the study load whilst running a practice and parenting young children. I loved the certification so much, after I finished it I went straight into the second year to complete the Grad Dip.

The course really opened my eyes up to the long history of herbal medicine use, in both people and animals, and the strong scientific and anecdotal evidence that exists for many herbal therapies. So many references and scientific papers were provided during the course as extra reading material that I felt confident in recommending these therapies to my clients, even before I had developed my own experience using them. My tutor was very understanding of my busy work and personal schedule and gave me the flexibility to extend modules when required, and I was also able to pause the diploma for a few months just after I gave birth to my youngest baby.

I strongly recommend this course for anyone considering learning more about integrative therapies and veterinary Western herbal medicine - whether you're worried you don't have the time to fit it in, or you're still on the fence about integrative medicine, this course will open your eyes to a whole new world of effective and safe treatment options that I now reach for time and time again with my patients. I also thoroughly enjoyed the modules where you make your own herbal ointments and tinctures; it is an empowering feeling to know that if you have access to a medicinal herbal garden, or create your own, you can make your own therapeutic products!”

Dr Caroline Wood

BVSc, GDVWHM

Australia

“Taking part in CIVT’s Natural Animal Nutrition course was one of the most important and relevant steps in my journey in animal health. It was open-minded, with a lot of basic and important information, additionally it was not sponsored by any companies. For me, apart from gaining great animal nutrition knowledge, I found it allowed me the prospect and perspective to work in my own way. Being a member of CIVT gives me additional possibilities to continue learning.”

Dagmara Brzostek

Poland

"As a veterinarian just beginning my journey into integrative medicine, this course was a good introduction to canine manual therapies. The content was clear, practical, and included hands-on techniques that I could start applying with patients. Dr Tanya Grantham was an excellent tutor - supportive, knowledgeable, and able to explain complex concepts in an approachable way. Her clinical insights and prompt feedback made the learning experience engaging. After completing the course, I feel more confident assessing canine movement and incorporating simple manual therapy techniques to support musculoskeletal health and rehabilitation. I would highly recommend this course to veterinarians interested in expanding their skills in integrative care."

Dr Sheryl Ng

BSc, BVSc 

Singapore

"I’m a small animal veterinarian in Australia. I initially enrolled in the Introduction to Canine Manual Therapies course to help my own dog, Miki, an eight-year-old Kelpie who loves being massaged. He has mild arthritis and some back issues, and with the massage techniques learned in the course, I’m able to help relieve his discomfort and keep him active. I’ve also been applying these skills to support my patients. I found all parts of the course valuable and more in-depth than I expected. The anatomy refresher was particularly helpful, and learning more about conformation and gait analysis is very relevant to my work as a veterinarian. The sections on massage, myofascial release, and acupressure - my main reasons for enrolling - were especially interesting and well detailed."

Dr Anne Vastmans

M.Vet.Med.

Australia

"My dog’s lameness inspired me to take the 5Ps course. It helped me understand the best ways to help my dog; sometimes pain is silent, this course gave me the skills to help before it escalates. I now know the pain pathways, body mechanics and gentle intervention strategies to help reduce the pain. The course was well laid out and very informative, giving me multiple methods to help my dog, improve his mobility and support his wellbeing." 

Tina Austin

Canada

"The CIVT Essentials of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine course was definitely another excellent online learning experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was highlighted by online interactive tutorials which gave students an opportunity to speak directly to the tutors and receive instant feedback. It was very helpful to learn a lot of detail about a select number of the most common and well understood herbs which provided me with the confidence to use them in practice immediately."   

Dr Julie Schell

BSc (Hons), DVM, CVA, CVCHM, CVC

Canada

“I was a conventional small animal vet who moved into the rehabilitation sphere because I wanted to be able to offer my patients more than just popping a pill to make them comfortable. I wanted to build better strength and mobility, as they are an important part of quality of life, but also have more non-pharmaceutical options to offer my patients. This path led me to acupuncture and CIVT. The Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Acupuncture has been a fantastic course, I have learnt so much, things that help not only my patients’ pain but their health overall. It was a steep learning curve as I had never studied any Chinese herbal medicine before, but the breadth of information and tutor support available made it not just achievable but enjoyable as well. It has transformed my daily practice, and my patients and clients cannot thank you enough for it!”

Dr Jane Harris

BVSc (hons), CCRT, GDVA

Australia

"An Outstanding Animal Rehabilitation Course!!!! I completed my Certification in Clinical Integrative Canine Rehabilitation course in January 2024. What an exceptional course, it exceeded every expectation I had!

Dr Tanya Grantham, my course tutor and lecturer, was exceptional. Dr Tanya, thank you for sharing your knowledge and years of experience with the students in such a compassionate way. Your patience with your students as well as your passion and compassion for your patients and their well-being is truly remarkable.

The content and layout of this course were well-structured, easy to understand and deeply informative. Each module and power point presentation gave me the theoretical knowledge and hands-on confidence I needed to treat every rehabilitation case with utmost care to support my patients in a safe, effective and compassionate way.

As a veterinarian I have grown so much in both skill and understanding. I feel more empowered and excited to use this amazing knowledge I have gained to help animals recover, thrive and live more comfortable and healthier lives. I would highly recommend this course to any professional that has a deep love for rehabilitation. This course is an investment in knowledge, confidence and compassion. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and experience.”

Dr Carmen Booyse 

BSc, BVSc, CVA, CVTP, CICCR

South Africa

“In traditional vet environments our approach is systems based – assessing one body system at a time in our exam. Albeit correct and necessary, it is a rigid approach, used even by experienced clinicians. Integrative veterinary practice, including herbal medicine, teaches us a greater appreciation of the meshing of body systems, the influence that body systems have on each other and how this must influence our medical decision making. Early veterinary decision making may be crude and simplistic in both traditional and western systems; but as we become more competent our treatment choices will become more sophisticated in both veterinary systems.

Integrative medicine broadens the practitioner’s mindset – it changes your way of thinking about a case, analysing the patient and developing therapy that can treat so much more than a presenting condition. It’s almost like moving from “2D” to “3D” in your medical assessments and approach to therapy

The Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine course has provided for me a whole new perspective and pathway of execution of veterinary medicine. After over 30 years of traditional veterinary medicine practice and having already integrated some complementary therapies into my practice (therapeutic laser therapy) in recent years, the expanded toolkit I now have with herbal medicine is like the “icing on the cake” with respect to how I wish to deliver veterinary medicine.”

Dr Joan Deetman

BSc, BVMS, GDEd, GDVWHM

Australia