Essentials of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine
Want to know what you can use to help protect your patients’ livers and kidneys from potential side effects of some medications? Learn how to make a skin cream to alleviate dermatitis? How about treating kennel cough with a simple formula you can make in your own practice? When your clients asks if it’s ok to give a herb with the treatment you are providing what do you say?
Testimonials from some who have completed Essentials of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine Course:
Dr Judy McFarlen: “Loved the course would recommend to other practitioners.”
Dr Katherine Kindlesparker: “Had a great time! Thanks for all the newly opened doors to information and studies on herbal medications.”
Dr Lesley Kenmur: “Thank you very much. I thoroughly enjoyed the course.”
Dr Clare Ellis: “Loved it! …..this short course came up and it has definitely changed the direction I am heading in…….. (also) a great basic course for your average practitioner that just wants to know a little about basic herbs that their clients may ask about but not actually become a herbalist.”
IVAS CE Credits: 10.75. CIVT CE Credits: 10
Why learn with CIVT?
This CIVT course is developed by Dr Barbara Fougere and taught by the faculty of CIVT. It is designed to provide you with confidence and a working knowledge of ten of the most popular herbs for use in practice. The course helps you to address the common questions that clients ask about herbal medicine. It is not designed to make you a herbalist, but it will give you important insights and knowledge that will help in every day practice. CIVT provides an evidence based approach bridging science with the tradition of herbal medicine.
The course assumes a knowledge of animal physiology, anatomy and husbandry. The course is comprised of 6 Topics presented over 6 weeks.
This course features live and recorded lectures and tutorials, downloadable materials and readings, and assessment.
Topics covered
- Foundations of Veterinary Herbal Medicine:
- What is herbal medicine?
- A brief history of herbal medicine
- Veterinary herbal medicine history
- Major herbal medicine systems
- What is phytomedicine?
- Sources of herbal medicines:
- Issues and Quality
- Herbal manufacture
- Preparations
- What can you recommend?
- What should you stock?
- Making your own
- Basic Phytochemistry and pharmacology of herbs:
- The complexity of herbs
- Classification of herbal constituents
- Terminology and the language of herbal medicine
- Introduction to Materia Medica
- Philosophy and Principles of Western Herbal Medicine:
- Wholism and vitalism
- Health and disease
- Therapeutic approach in veterinary herbal medicine
- Taking the case
- Dosing considerations in Veterinary medicine:
- Review of dosage approaches
- Dosing considerations
- How to give herbs to animals
- Adverse reactions, potential toxicities.
- Practicing herbal medicine:
- Prescribing and dispensing
- Herb drug interactions
- A basic herbal pharmacy
- Resources
Course outcomes
At the end of this six week course participants will be able to:
- Describe the basic history of herbal medicine and in particular the use of herbs for the treatment of animals
- Understand where Western Herbal Medicine fits into the global herbal medicine systems
- Define phytomedicine
- Make three basic herbal preparations in veterinary practice
- Know the basic classification of herbal phytochemicals and their action
- Know basic terminology used in herbal medicine, from ‘alteratives’ to ‘vulneraries’
- Begin to apply principles in the selection of an appropriate dose for a herbal medicine and for a patient
- Look up and look out for potential herb drug interactions
- Use 10 herbs for the treatment of animals in everyday cases;
- Answer clients’ basic questions on herbal medicine.
Communication and course material
We will provide self paced learning content and activities within the myCIVT classroom online. You will receive a log in and password to access this room. From myCIVT you can access course content as well as submit assessment tasks. Email/skype support is available.
You should have independent computer skills and be able to access the internet. This course is restricted to qualified veterinarians and veterinary students, veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses.
Assessment
Multiple choice open book, short answers, forum participation. You will receive a Certificate of Completion Essentials of Herbal Medicine.
Please note that this is an evidence-based course delivered by qualified and experienced practitioners but is not an Australian government-accredited qualification.
