11086NAT-Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine

"Since a childhood spent growing up in Central Europe among the fields and forests, I always had a close relationship with nature and always knew I wanted to become a vet. I gained my degree during the Velvet Revolution and fall of communism – an exciting and elating time in Europe. Later I had the opportunity to relocate to Australia and I went back to university to gain Australian veterinary qualifications, spent the next five years after graduation working in my first job, then bought a small animal clinic in Tasmania. When CIVT webinars started to ’pop up’ I was fortunate to listen to Dr Barbara Fougere and a few days later I enrolled in the GDVWHM course. Signing up for GDVA was for me a logical continuity in my newly re-discovered passion for herbs and natural therapies. The passion to use alternative medicine was growing and I eventually decided to sell my clinic to fully focus on facilitating the healing process in its wholeness and more natural ways."

Dr Martina McPeace

MVDr, BVSc, GDVWHM, GDVA

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

"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 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 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

"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

"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

"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

"I am a perpetual studier, a few years after graduating as veterinarian I completed a Masters of Veterinary Studies, then a few short courses in various topics. The more I studied in conventional medicine the more frustrated I became with the hypocrisy of belittling herbal medicine with claims of insufficient evidence when a large proportion of conventional treatments have very limited or low-grade evidence behind them. I have always had an open mind and niggling curiosity about herbal medicine, so I started with just the 6 week essentials of veterinary WHM course and immediately loved everything about it - Dr Fougere's tutorial style, the immense amount of research that has clearly gone into each and every topic and how clearly presented and easy to use the information was. From there I continued on to do the certificate and then the graduate diploma which was similarly a lot of information, clearly presented with really helpful and supportive tutors. 

I still practice conventional medicine and offer western herbal medicine to interested clients. Studying the graduate diploma has helped me become a much more thorough veterinarian generally but it has really sparked a passion in herbal medicine. I am trying to make myself take a year off studying before I start browsing the CIVT course list to see what I will enroll in next."

Dr Emily Warfield

BVSc, MVSc, GDVWHM

Australia

"I've been a practising vet for 30 years, throughout this time I have always felt that I could offer the animals I treated more than just conventional medicine; especially in cases that were non-responsive. I've always had an interest in complementary medicine and incorporated very basic remedies into my treatment protocols throughout my career.

In the last few years I was very fortunate to learn about CIVT and undertake the Essentials course initially, followed by my Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine. The learning journey has completely transformed the way I practice. The ability to help animals at this deeper level utilising herbal medicine has provided a significantly greater level of job and patient satisfaction. 

The quality and high standard of learning, utilising evidence based medicine when available gave me the confidence to support the complementary therapies utilised in practice; particularly when discussing cases with colleagues.

Seeing animals respond to natural treatments brings me immense joy and a desire to keep learning. This Diploma has provided the impetus to allow me to fulfil my passion in bringing a different model to Veterinary Science. I have started a new veterinary business based on providing holistic support for animals, working alongside the clients conventional veterinarian. This is an exciting new chapter in my journey in promoting animal health through holistic modalities."

Dr Jacqui Snell

BVSc, GDVWHM

New Zealand

"I graduated from veterinary school (Michigan State University) in 1997. Thereafter, I pursued an internship, then residency program in Internal Medicine. I presently work in a small animal specialty hospital SE Michigan, where my employer has been supportive of my herbal studies.
I was initially attracted to internal medicine because I loved "solving the puzzle". I gradually became aware of gaps and deficiencies in allopathic medicine, and was disillusioned with the limited options in the treatment of diseases I encountered daily (too many missing puzzle pieces!). Herbal medicine has filled some of these gaps, and I hope to keep learning more integrative medicine.
My first introduction to western herbalism was when I was having my children. My homebirth midwifery group practiced herbalism, and I experienced its efficacy first hand. It planted a seed in my mind (no pun intended) that took some years to sprout. Once my kids were a bit older, I discovered CIVT's program and online training was a perfect fit for me.
Certainly, I am fortunate and grateful simply to have the knowledge- but the Grad Dip was important to achieve in my mind not only to enrich my daily practice, but also to lend validity to my referring veterinary community and clients', an acknowledgement that I hold this training and knowledge on a par with my internal medicine specialty certification."                               

Dr Cheryl Rice

DVM, DACVIM, GDVWHM

United States of America

"I developed an interest in integrative medicine before starting vet school while working for a veterinarian who did acupuncture. There was not much exposure to alternative therapies during school, but some amazing veterinarians took time to come speak to the students about alternative therapies, and I knew I wanted to learn these modalities to help my patients. I started out with acupuncture certification and then training in Chinese herbs, and loved having those options available. I added rehabilitation therapy and spinal manipulation therapy certification and was also very pleased with how much those modalities benefited my patients. Then I took a weekend short-course in Western herbal medicine and knew I had to learn more. The Graduate Diploma in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine has been a challenging and rewarding course of study. It has helped integrate my scientific, western minded side with my energetic, intuitive side. Herbs are an amazing modality and I get a lot of satisfaction from helping my patients with these natural, effective treatments."

Dr Theresa SaLee

DVM, GDVWHM

United States of America

"I became seriously interested in integrative medicine when I herniated a disc in my back 15 years ago. Experiencing first-hand how acupuncture kept me from needing surgery, I enrolled and earned certification in veterinary acupuncture from The Chi Institute. My next step in my alternative medicine journey was studying manual therapy (Animal Normalization Therapy) and was fascinated and very impressed with the quick responses in animals when conventional medicine had failed. What drew me to this was the gentle technique and no needles, perfect for those needle shy patients or clients. As more clients were seeking my advice on herbs they purchased over the internet, I realized just how ignorant I was on this aspect of alternative medicine. My journey continued when I received an email from CIVT about their course on Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine. As Chinese herbs never resonated with me, I grabbed this opportunity. After three very intense but well worthwhile years of study, I obtained my Grad Dip VWHM. This course demonstrated firsthand the power of herbs by reversing my partner's chronic leukopenia (conventional medicine was exhausted), resolving panic anxiety in a colleague's dog, to slowing CRD in my own uncooperative 19 year old cat. Herbs are now an extra tool in my toolbox. Thank you CIVT!"

Dr Karen Neff

DVM, GDVWHM

United States of America

"The graduate diploma is a big deal for me. Twenty years ago I began my journey into alternative medicine by getting certified in acupuncture. Since that time I have taken many acupuncture and herb courses and have been slowly integrating that knowledge into my practice. When I realized that herbal medicine could carry beyond the dead ends in western medicine and could solve many of our problems without side effects I decided I wanted to learn as much as I could about Western herbal medicine. So I signed up for the CIVT VWHM course. It was fabulous! Now at age 67 instead of being burned out  and retiring, I am energized and full of confidence to practice good quality integrative medicine. I hope  also to enlighten some of my colleagues as to the benefits of herbal medicine!"

Dr Leah Whipple

VMD, CVA, GDVWHM, CVNAN

United States of America

"I became interested in Integrative Medicine shortly after graduation from veterinary school. I was doing an internship at a teaching hospital and saw that a number of patients with chronic diseases that could not be managed well with traditional medical treatment. I did a lot of self-study for a number of years before I was able to attend my first formal training course, Options for Animals Chiropractic course, in 1999. It has been an exceptional journey since then, exploring a number of treatment modalities with some exceptionally caring and talented teachers. 

I have been working with Western Herbs for a number of years but decided to take the Graduate Diploma program from CIVT as a gift to myself. I wanted to undertake a structured program from experienced teachers that would result in a credential that would have meaning to both my clients and my colleagues. The course was everything that I had hoped for and more. The didactic material provided a solid foundation in the theory and practice of Western Herbalism, and the assignments and student forums gave me a broad range of approaches to cases we see every day in practice. I'm so happy that I decided to make the commitment to take the course. My next steps are going to be a deeper dive into a few different aspects of Western Herbal medicine that I discovered during the course. I'm so thankful for the instructors and fellow students for all the help they gave me along the way."

Dr Neal Sivula

DVM, PhD, FAAVA, GDVWHM

United States of America

"My journey in herbal medicine started more than 15 years ago after seeing phytotherapy in veterinary practice in France before I moved to the UK. I trained in herbal medicine through a modular certificate course in the UK shortly after. Very few vets were trained or even aware of western herbal veterinary medicine at the time. Together with some colleagues, we founded the British Association of Veterinary Herbalists. I have worked as a pure referral integrated vet for the last ten years, combining acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal medicine in rehabilitation and conventional veterinary settings. The postgraduate Western herbal medicine diploma RPL route has allowed me to gain an internationally recognised qualification. It has been a time of reflection, deepening understanding and reviewing my practice which has had a significant impact personally and professionally. I am immensely proud that I am now a member of a select group of vets worldwide who has achieved greater depth in western herbal medicine. I want to especially thank Barbara Fougere, who encouraged me to take this RPL step and kept me going when lockdown homeschooling and case log writing got a bit much."

Dr Veerle Dejonkheere

MRCVS, GDVWHM

United Kingdom

"I had always cared for myself in a herbal and holistic manner and was lucky enough to work along side Veerle Dejonckheere who provided me with the inspiration and encouragement to start my veterinary herbal training.  I wanted to be able to do more for my patients and provide them with more complete care, whilst enabling their owners to be more proactive.  The course has changed my entire view of clinical practice and, although I still work in conventional veterinary medicine practices, all of my clinical work has been improved by this course.  By being able to give enough time to clients and patients and by having the luxury of getting to know them, the care that I can provide is totally different and can touch on all aspects of their life.  The course is very detailed and guides you well through the work needed to gain a deeper understanding.  My understanding and knowledge of cytokines and physiology has improved exponentially from this course.  The depth of detail given and the support from tutors is brilliant.  I am so happy to have been introduced to CIVT and all that it offers and am very proud indeed to have completed my Graduate Diploma."

Dr Clara Greenwood

BVM, IBSc, MSc, CVWHM, MRCVS, GDVWHM

United Kingdom

"My interest in herbalism began with my own health.  Seeing that I could manage my own medical conditions with plants led me to naturally apply a more holistic approach to my own pets.  After 13 years in the veterinary field I could clearly see the space where herbalism would fit.  As a veterinary technician, I was beyond ecstatic to be able to expand my knowledge base and advance my career as an herbalist.  It truly doesn't feel like work when you are following your passion."

Elyse Hoffman

CVT, GDVWHM

United States of America

"I completed my DVM at Colorado State University in 1997.  A good friend of mine had graduated a few years before and went to work for a holistic vet who did homeopathy.  That was a little more than my linear scientific mind could handle, but I found that acupuncture made a lot of sense to me, and I completed the CSU Acupuncture course in 1998.  It opened up amazing possibilities.  There were few to no medications for arthritis in animals, so I treated a lot of OA patients with great response, including many who would have been euthanized without it.  I have felt through my career that conventional medicine is limited by trying to treat every patient as the same, rather than the individuals that they are.  And we have pet owners to consider, who come to us with a wide variety of philosophies and capabilities, meaning the gold standard may be inappropriate or out of reach.  I never quite fit in the "one size fits all" paradigm.  Over the years, I've added to my knowledge by completing the Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) as well as courses in homotoxicology.  In 2013 I received my Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner (CVPP) through the IVAPM.  The Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine was the next logical step, as I had clients constantly bringing me herbs and supplements to evaluate and I didn't know what to tell them.  The program was super challenging because it required another paradigm shift and that period of discomfort where you know enough to say try this but not enough to see all the possible problems with that option.  And of course, I didn't plan on a pandemic or building a new clinic when I set out on this path.  But it all worked out and I'm so happy I did the course.  I'm able to evaluate products and I know where to go look if I don't know a particular herb.  And I've had some awesome successes with my cases, including a neurologic completely incontinent dog in diapers who is now doing so well the diapers are completely off.  So, it was absolutely worth the effort, and I would recommend the course to anyone who has a strong interest in herbs.  I have gained confidence in both my integrative skills as well as my conventional ones - I just did my first PRP injection last week."

Dr Shelley Brown

DVM, CVPP, GDVWHM

United States of America

“I soon recognized when I started as a veterinarian in conventional Western practice that there was so much more that can be done to treat animals through holistic modalities. As I learned different modalities including acupuncture, nutrition/food therapy, and canine rehabilitation therapy I saw how well patients responded to these treatments and I was inspired to pursue further training. I have always been drawn to botanical medicine and I am so grateful for CIVT in offering herbal medicine studies with fantastic teachers through an online format. I earned a Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine and most recently a second Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine. By training in the Graduate Diploma programs I feel that I can offer a diversity of therapeutic options with herbs to my patients. I am excited by the opportunity to continue learning through CIVT and developing skills in new areas.”

Dr Sally Lane

MS, DVM, CVA, CCRT, GDCVHM, GDVWHM

United States of America

"My love for both animals and plants developed early being part of a local nature conservation group from a young age. Most of my pocket money I earned harvesting herbs, for example Small Flowered Willowherb, Lime Flower, St Johns Wort and Hawthorn.

In Germany licensed herbal remedies are widely used in human and veterinary medicine. They were part of an integrated approach in my first job in mixed practice and to start with I focused on acupuncture and laser therapy. But moving to the United Kingdom hardly any licensed herbal veterinary products were available. For that reason I started training in veterinary herbal medicine in 2012. The course didn’t lead to a formal qualification, and I was glad that CIVT enabled me to get more structure into my herbal knowledge. They really made an effort to assess my pre-existing learning and helped me understand how to fill in existing gaps.

I live and work in rural Herfordshire (UK) and still “harvest” in our garden instead of weeding. The Mistletoe for cardio-vascular used comes from local organic orchards, where removing some Mistletoe is part of their restoration.

Some of the course work has deepened my relationship with the manufactures of the herbal tinctures I use in practice and enhanced my herbal dispensary considerably.

I enjoy that herbalism incorporates so many traditions, but I didn’t have a good understanding what the actual “Western” approach is. My knowledge especially of the non-native herbs has very much improved during the course and they combine very well with my old favourites."

Dr Iris Ege

DVM, MRCVS, CVA, GDVWHM

United Kingdom