About the AHV

Australian Holistic Veterinarians (AHV) is a special interest group (SIG) of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), with over 100 members Australia wide. Our members are veterinarians who use, or have an interest in, one or more alternative or complementary therapies which they use in combination with conventional veterinary training and techniques to treat animals.

The aim of this SIG is to foster the use of complementary and alternative therapies in a caring and professional manner in order to benefit the health of animals, and to render a positive image of holistic animal care in the general community.

These therapies provide treatment options for animals presented to veterinarians, which may avoid unnecessary pain, side-effects from drugs, complications from surgery and allow reduction in the use of antibiotics and other drugs which can contaminate human food of animal derivation. These therapies, in certain instances, can provide means by which disease and dysfunction may be treated that could not have been effectively addressed by conventional veterinary medicine and surgery.

We believe it is important that knowledge of these therapies becomes part of veterinary students education so that veterinarians know at least as much as their clients do of these therapies, and to provide the animal with the full range of treatment options for their disease or condition.

The following natural therapies are the most commonly used on animals. There are many, and not all can be listed here. Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Homeopathy, Herbal Medicine, Homotoxicology, Flower Essences, Nutraceuticals and Hands on healing techniques. For more information on these therapies use the buttons on the home page.