Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine (VCHM)

Over the centuries, healers learned different ways to prepare and combine herbs to create unique and powerful medicines. 

Despite having significant physiologic impacts, Chinese herbal medicines have far fewer side effects than pharmaceutical drugs. It is in part because the formulas are designed to include herbs that ameliorate side effects that might be common if an individual herb were used alone. There are, however, herbs that should not be used with pregnant animals and some herbs that, if mixed with certain minerals or vitamins, could have an interaction and lessen the impact of both.  The most common unintended effect of a prescribed herbal formula would be soft stools or vomiting. These signs should resolve quickly on stopping the herbal formula.

Herbal Medicine utilizes herbal ingredients listed within the Chinese Herbal Materia Medica in particular combinations or formulas to treat particular disease patterns. Herbal formulas are administered orally and are prescribed in powder form, tea pill, or capsule for cats and dogs. Most traditional herbal veterinary formulas can be safely used with conventional pharmaceutical treatments.