Course overview:
This course is intended for veterinary technicians or assistants to create diets under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Tailored for veterinary technicians working in clinics and hospitals where TCVM is practiced.
A reference letter from a licensed veterinarian is required to enroll in this course.
This is an online course with 22 hours, including:
- Basic Nutrition Overview
- TCVM Food Therapy Principles
- Food Therapy: Common Concerns and Special Properties
- Food Therapy for Technicians – the Bottom Line
This course is intended for veterinary technicians or assistants to create diets under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Course objectives:
- Understand indications and contraindications for food therapy and home-prepared diets
- Understand TCVM patterns
- Be able to teach food therapy techniques to clients
- Be able to create balanced recipes for patients using an online veterinary nutrition program based on your veterinarian’s TCVM diagnosis and diet requirements
Admission Requirements
Credentialed veterinary technician OR successful completion of a 2-year veterinary technician program OR veterinary assistant with at least 5 years experience in a small animal veterinary clinical setting.
Letter of recommendation from a licensed veterinarian certified in TCVM (Acupuncture, Tui-na, Herbal medicine or Food Therapy) or currently attending courses for certification in TCVM. The letter of recommendation should briefly detail your relationship to the veterinarian writing it, why you would be a good candidate for the class, and how it would benefit you and your clinic. There is no length requirement, but one half to one full page is suggested.
Completion of the TCVM for Vet Techs course.
Certified Food Therapy for Veterinary Technician
Taught in English
Veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants only
22 RACE-approved CE hours
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
Students must:
- Credentialed veterinary technician OR successful completion of a 2-year veterinary technician program OR veterinary assistant with at least 5 years experience in a small animal veterinary clinical setting.
- Letter of recommendation from a licensed veterinarian certified in TCVM (Acupuncture, Tui-na, Herbal medicine or Food Therapy) or currently attending courses for certification in TCVM. The letter of recommendation should briefly detail your relationship to the veterinarian writing it, why you would be a good candidate for the class, and how it would benefit you and your clinic. There is no length requirement, but one half to one full page is suggested.
- Completion of the TCVM for Vet Techs course OR equivalent.
Curriculum
Food Therapy for Technicians
Basic Nutrition Overview (Western Nutrition Concepts)
3h
TCVM Food Therapy Principles
2h
Food Therapy: Common Concerns and Special Properties
1h
Feline Food Therapy
1h
Lab demo: Top Foods for Pets and Their Caregiver
1h
Lab demo: How to Make Foods for Dogs
2h
Food Therapy for Technicians – the Bottom Line
2h
Question and Answer
1h
How to Balance a Recipe/How to Use Computer Program to Balance a TCVM Food Recipe
7h
Final review
2h
Certification
CFTVT Certification
Completion of the Chi University Veterinary Technician Food Therapy course
Pass the take-home exam
You are required to create one canine and one feline diet based on a real case in your practice, or your personal pet or a friend’s pet. To do this you WILL need a TCVM diagnosis. If you do not have access to such a case, including if your vet does not formulate TCVM diagnoses, then Chi University will provide you basic information on a “mock” case of a dog and a cat for you to create diets.
This is a “pass/fail” submission and is required for receiving certification. It will take approximately 2-3 hours per case, for a total of 4-6 hours. The diet should be balanced through Balance.IT, make sense, and be palatable for the “average” of the respective species. It should also take TCVM food energetics into account.
CFTVT (Certified Food Therapy Veterinary Technician): For the student who is a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.
CFTVA (Certified Food Therapy Veterinary Assistant): For the student who is NOT a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.
Note: A CFTVA holder can update their certificate to CFTVT once they become a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.
Textbooks
Instructors
Huisheng Xie
BS-vet med, MS-vet acupuncture, PhD Professor and founder of Chi University
Dr. Xie has 43 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in veterinary acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). He has been invited to deliver lectures for more than 200 veterinary organizations and universities in over 30 countries, including WSAVA, AVMA, the Western Veterinary Conference, VMX/NAVC, and AAEP. He has trained over 12,000 veterinarians to practice TCVM worldwide. Dr. Xie is also the author of over 140 peer-reviewed papers, and 35 textbooks including Xie’s Veterinary Herbology and Xie’s Veterinary Acupuncture, which have been used for TCVM training courses around the world. He built the longest standing Veterinary Medical School’s acupuncture service in the US in 1999 and acupuncture internship program in 2003 and served as a clinical professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine until 2021. He is also an honorary professor at China Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, and Southwest University. Dr. Xie continues to teach and develop educational courses and programs at Chi University.
Read moreTerri Rosado
DVM, MS-TCVM, Associate Professor and Medical Director
Dr. Terri Rosado holds a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and is certified in canine rehabilitation and medical manipulation. As an Associate Professor at Chi University and the Medical Director of Chi Animal Hospital, Dr. Rosado is passionate about education, offering externships to Chi and veterinary school students, and inviting volunteers to experience integrative small animal practice.
Enrollment Options
Semester
2026
Schedule & Tuition
Food Therapy for Technicians
Online
Jul 15 - Oct 15, 2026
Duration: 3 months
$750.00
Payment Information
A $100.00 non-refundable course deposit is charged upon enrollment to reserve your seat.
Payment is due 30 days before the start date of each session, course, or event.
Add-ons
CFTVT Certification
$150.00