Testimonials

"I had been searching for solutions to ill health that did not require heavy medication and adulterated diets. When I came upon Chinese medicine in 2004 I knew I had found my Veterinary “soul mate”! I finally began to see my patients regain better health and vitality with acupuncture. The herbal aspect continued to allude me however, but I knew it was the next step and in 2018 I started my two-year journey into the Graduate Diploma in Chinese Herbal Medicine. I now have a solid base on which to grow and help patients in so many areas where traditional medicine cannot. Chinese herbal medicine can thwart endocrine disease, autoimmune disease, and even cancer! I have now had several hemangiosarcoma patients make it past 1 year remission! I am so grateful for my Chinese herbal pharmacy every day and so excited to tweak and learn with each new case. I see Chinese herbal medicine as more accessible, more affordable, and more acceptable to people and their pets. Pets also tolerate herbs better than traditional medication. It has become my go-to tool daily in practice! Thank you once again CIVT for offering these fantastic courses!" 

Dr Corinne Chapman

BSc, DVM, CVA, GDVCHM

Canada

"My interest in natural therapies started shortly after graduating from vet school when my dog, Spaz, who had IBD, taught me the power of minimally processed food. If it weren't for her, I might never have opened my mind to raw or minimally processed food, and then the other holistic modalities that followed. I am particularly interested in Western Herbs because the wild plants talk to me! I go for a walk in the woods nearby and it is truly incredible how much medicine surrounds me. The local plants that I can see, touch, smell and watch as they change through the seasons are the best medicine of all! Western herbs are the focus of my practice, I am also acupuncture certified and have acquired some knowledge of TCM herbs via osmosis. I’ve found herbs have made such a positive difference in the lives of so many animals, but most important to me now is my own dog, Kismet, who has osteosarcoma and is enjoying the best days of her life thanks in large part to herbal medicine. The Grad Dip VWHM has taught me to make more effective herbal formulas that are tailored to the individual animal, paying particular attention to the energetics of the herbs and the animal. I was using herbs before, but not in such an individualized manner. It makes me feel good to make a difference in the lives of the animals around me! I highly recommend the Grad Dip VWHM course - the breadth and depth of topics covered provide the necessary knowledge to make a powerful difference in the lives of the animals that cross our paths. I’m looking forward to next learning more about TCM herbs and homeopathy."

Dr Tonya Khan

Canada

"When I graduated in 1980 there was no mention of acupuncture as an alternative or an adjunct. I visited a friend of my parents in Switzerland in 1993, who was a healer. In the couple of months I spent there I met clients and other practitioners in various modalities and started to open my mind a little. In 1995 I worked in a practice in the Hunter Valley, where the owner used to use an iodine compound liquid to do "acupuncture" on sore muscles (by "ringing the dragon" ) and saw some effects. I then bought a "cookbook" for acupuncture in the horse, which I rarely used in the future years, but I did read it. In 2013 I had a vet working for me who was in the middle of her IVAS qualification. I saw some of the results she got and became intrigued, so I enrolled in the "Introduction to Acupuncture" short course at CIVT. Using that opened my eyes more and I looked at several courses before settling on the CIVT course. I don't regret it! But it took a quantum shift in my western scientific brain to get my head around the theory!! What I find most useful is the broadening of my vision so I look at cases with stereo vision now, and the chance to do other things besides drugs to affect a treatment. The downside is my consults now take longer!!"

Dr David Bartholomeusz

BVMS, MANZCVS, BSc, CF, GDVA

Australia

"I have a small integrative veterinary practice in the mountains of Colorado. My practice is cozy, very personal and quaint and I focus on providing personal and individualized care to all my patients. My fundamental goal is to assist animals into a state of balanced health using acupuncture, laser and other body work, herbal medicines, nutritional counseling and individualized preventative care strategies tailored to the unique needs of each patient and family. In addition to my deeply rooted passion around TCVM, I have a love for and resonance with all plant medicines. I am thrilled to have just completed the Graduate Diploma Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine course and I hope and plan to use these skills and increased knowledge to help more patients with expanded and more effective herbal medicine offerings." 

Dr Kelly Keeney

DVM, AVMA, CVA, GDVWHM

United States of America

"When I graduated from University of Queensland in 1997 as a newly minted vet I was excited to apply everything I had learnt. For my final year thesis, I chose the subject of acupuncture. To this day, I don’t exactly know why I did that. It seemed randomly interesting at the time and it introduced me to the work of a senior Practitioner using acupuncture and attaining great results using this modality.  It sparked a small but enduring flame. As a small animal vet, I dived into the conventional western medicine camp. It sufficed for a while. I worked in practices throughout Queensland and Victoria. In 2000 I arrived in the UK in time for the Foot and Mouth outbreak. This plunged me into the large animal sphere and it was a challenging time for vets. I stayed working in the UK in mainly small animal and emergency medicine until 2004.

During my time in the UK, I started a family and finally I wanted to come back to Australia to live and work. I bought a quiet small animal practice in the outskirts of Melbourne in 2008. I was on a mission to build the practice, and I learnt a lot. However, I was frustrated with some cases that no matter what I did, conventional medicine could not resolve the issues that were presented. Most annoying of all was that I could not resolve the skin problems that presented with my newly adopted 12-month-old Golden Retriever.  

I sought other avenues and the door opened to complimentary therapies, which I found to work very well. Change was on the horizon. I decided to get formal training within the integrative therapies field and enrolled to complete the diploma in Western herbal Medicine with CIVT. I also decided to sell my successful practice in 2019 and arrived at the American Holistic Veterinary Conference in Tennessee that same year. To say, my eyes were opened wide, is an understatement. I met outstanding vets in their field all using complimentary/alternative medicine with great success. It was mind-blowing. There was no turning back from then on – the path was clear. I continued to study and then complete my Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine at the end of 2020. It has been a rewarding and challenging journey, as I had to confront old paradigms and make way for new shifts. The information I have learnt about nutrition and plant-based medicine was very in-depth and was much more than I had ever learnt while at university. Studying the course at CIVT has given me more tools in the toolkit to assist in treating diseases using herbal medications. This modality provides impressive health outcomes.

Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine is now integrated into how I practice veterinary medicine. I continue to see great results with my patients. As I write this, I am planning to open a new purpose built Holistic Veterinary Hospital in the Surf Coast Region of Victoria in 2022. In the meantime, my patient list is growing. Currently I am offering a mobile veterinary service which the community has warmly embraced. 

I am so happy to be able to offer this approach to patients and I am deeply respectful and grateful for the work of Barbara Fougere, my tutor Colin Daly and all at CIVT."

Dr Ivor Javen

BSc (Hons-1), BVS, GDVWHM

Australia

“Defining how I came to be inspired by integrative medicine and what this diploma means to me feels too complex to sum up - like our clients, patients and our relationships to our art! CIVT’s VCHM diploma has been an incredibly fulfilling and deep learning journey, in a very lengthy larger learning journey. I started my vet journey pursuing a career in conservation genetics research, always maintaining a tie to clinical and surgical work. A strong environmental and political activism streak through my chaotic childhood into adulthood, led me quickly to philosophy, permaculture, chaos theory, taoism and healing the emotional/physical/mental body in trauma. Much later all of the above pieces were brought together by VCHM. Currently, practicing integrative veterinary medicine out of my beloved xtra cab Hilux in Tasmania, this diploma gave me, my patients and my clients the access I needed to integrate my ability to continue pursuing being a great veterinary clinician sustainably. Having the depth of knowledge and confidence to use the deep wisdom in VCHM is what this course has opened up for me and I will be eternally grateful. It has brought immeasurable healing and growth to me, my patients and clients, on so many levels, it has completely reinvigorated my passion for the healing arts“.

Dr Wei-Yeen Yap

BSc(hons), BVMS, GVCHM

Australia

"I am absolutely delighted to have completed my graduate diploma. I can highly recommend this course to anyone who is considering it - the course content is thorough, well-structured, engaging and the staff are all exceptionally encouraging and supportive.

I co-own a small referral holistic veterinary practice in Glasgow’s Southside, with my twin sister Reagan. We opened the door to our premises in January 2020 - what a year to open our own practice! Despite the challenges of 2020, we have been shown so much love and support it has been incredible!

We have wonderful, dedicated clients and it is a privilege to help empower them to make the best health care choices for their animals. We are also very lucky to have a human herbalist working within the practice, helping us truly work in a holistic way with our clients and their animals.

I love gardening and grow many medicinal herbs, this has been a lovely way to really get to know the incredible plants on a deeper level. I also grow veggies in the garden, which I share with my partner, 3 dogs, 2 chickens and all the wonderful wildlife that regularly visit us. If anyone is ever in Glasgow, please be sure to get in touch and stop by for a cup of herbal tea!"

Dr Jordan Carnwath

BVMS, CVA, MRCVS, GDVWHM

United Kingdom

"My journey with integrative medicine started when I was about ten years out of veterinary school. I was experiencing severe migraines and was not getting much help from my own doctor. A friend of many years, Patricia Baley was just finishing vet school and suggested I try acupuncture. And, as she had seen horses treated with acupuncture in Texas, she proposed that we study acupuncture for animals as soon as she graduated. Acupuncture changed my life! I felt better, and my TCM training resulted in a complete transformation of my small animal practice, integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine, adding chiropractic, and now Western Herbal Medicine into my regular practice. The Graduate Program at CIVT allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of herbal medicine, as well as honing my critical thinking, case management, and research skills."

Dr Liane Sperlich

DVM, FAAVA, GDVWHM

United States of America

"I first got involved in Veterinary Herbal Medicine almost 15 years ago when I did an introductory course, followed by two years of study. I have been using herbal medicine and acupuncture alongside conventional diagnosis, medicine, and surgery both in general practice and in my own home visiting practice. The CIVT Grad Dip has allowed me to review my original training, and to expand on some areas, and has finally given me a recognised qualification. I feel that herbal vets gaining qualifications such as this will help the RCVS take integrative practice seriously, and realise that we are working in evidence based medicine, just with a larger toolkit. When I am not busy being a holistic vet I train and work my English Springer Spaniels and enjoy a swim in the sea."

Dr Vicky Payne

BVM, MRCVS, GDVWHM

United Kingdom

"My first encounter with veterinary acupuncture was in 2000 when I started working part-time for a vet heavily into alternative therapies. I did conventional medicine on his days off. It was always intriguing to read through his cases and inspect his strange equipment and mixtures. I would often hear from clients how he had “fixed up” their pet with some acupuncture or drops as if it was just a regular treatment modality. Years later after several moves and starting a family, I found myself again in a small clinic where the practice owner also used acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I decided it was time to look further into integrative medicine and acupuncture. The CIVT was recommended to me by a friend and the completely online format suited my family needs. I have finally figured out what damp and spleen deficiency is, which was such a puzzle, years prior. I did find it difficult to study this time around and took longer to complete my diploma than I had planned. My tutor, Jodi was fantastic, always available if I had any questions and ready with encouraging words when I needed them. I found the whole team at the CIVT to be very understanding and helpful. Acupuncture and TCM gives me another treatment option and I particularly love it for the older patients that may be on multiple medications already or who’s organ systems are already compromised."

Dr Tina Chen

BVSc, GDVA

Australia

"I just wished to thank you for a wonderfully taught and well organised rehabilitation course. I learnt a great deal and have been able to use the skills I have gained immediately with excellent outcomes.....even surprising the specialists! The course was concise on commonly seen ailments, yet detailed to provide comprehensive treatment plans for cases. I am so pleased I enrolled in the course."

Dr David Ward

BVMS, BScAgr, MScVS, GDVA, CCRP

Australia

"I have always had a passion for integrative options for dogs and cats since I graduated veterinary medicine in 2007, however I did not think further studies would be an option for me due to my crazy family life. I referred countless patients who wanted more of an integrative approach and was so interested in the improvements seen. With a push from a lovely client to look into options, I found CIVT and realized pursuing my passion was an option. Western Herbal medicine seemed to call to me! I started using herbs on my own dog shortly into my studies and saw how much it changed her life which furthered my passion for Western Herbal Medicine. I have seen the benefits of herbal medicine in so many of my patients in the past 2 years and am excited to have so many other treatment options. I love the idea of treating the whole patient. In the past year I have also become certified in Veterinary Food Therapy and love using nutrition and herbs together to treat my patients. I also love that I can offer a plan to clients to help prevent imbalances in their pets down the road and prevent side effects from medications when used. My passion and excitement for herbal medicine keeps growing with all I have learned during my Graduate Diploma and I can't wait to continue to learn more!"

Dr Kaylan Elock

DVM, GDVWHM, CVFT

Canada