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Are you interested in learning more about raw feeding and can't fit an online course into your schedule right now? Have you taken an online course and would love a few organized notes to refer to going forward? Have you heard of quick study guides? These quick reference guides cover various topics, including nutrition, vitamins and minerals, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and more. I have several and find them very useful, and I'm sharing my favorite guides with you in this article.
Please note that most of these guides were written for human health, not dogs. However, these study guides have proven helpful as I learn more about dog nutrition and health.
List of Quick Study Guides
The study guides mentioned in this article. Keep reading to learn the details of each study guide.
- Essential Oils
- Herbal Therapy
- Natural Remedies
- Nutrition/Food Facts
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Veterinary Assistant
- Vitamins and Minerals
And, consider the following online courses for dog lovers:
Essential Oils Quick Study Guide
Essential oils are highly concentrated, aromatic plant extracts obtained through various extraction methods. They capture the volatile compounds of plants, preserving their distinctive scents and therapeutic properties. Essential oils are commonly used in aromatherapy, personal care products, and for their potential benefits in promoting physical and emotional well-being.
If you're interested in essential oils, this guide is a must-have. With information on over 130 oils, it's a comprehensive resource for beginners and experts alike. You can quickly learn about the therapeutic properties of each oil and any potential cautions. The guide even includes Latin botanical and alternate names for easy reference, and some oils have additional comments providing historical or traditional uses or specific cautions. It's a great quick reference tool for learning, a helpful shopping guide for non-medical therapeutic options, or a handy laminated tool for use in your workspace.
Herbal Therapy Quick Study Guide
Herbal therapy, also known as herbal medicine or phytotherapy, is a form of alternative medicine that utilizes the therapeutic properties of plants for healing purposes. It involves using plant-derived substances, such as leaves, roots, flowers, or bark, to prevent, treat, or manage various health conditions. Herbal therapy emphasizes the medicinal properties of active compounds found in plants, including phytochemicals and essential oils. It has been practiced for centuries in different cultures worldwide and continues to be used as a natural approach to support overall well-being and address specific health concerns.
The Herbal Therapy quick reference guide covers various herbs and their medicinal purposes.
Natural Remedies Quick Study Guide
This is a comprehensive resource for natural remedies for common health issues. You'll find helpful guidelines, tips, and suggestions for various ailments, including ear infections and high blood pressure. The information is presented in an easy-to-use, color-coded format. This guide was created for humans, but many of the tips can be used for dogs or to give dog owners an idea of where to start their research for their dog's care.
I use this guide for informational purposes, not as a replacement for veterinarian care.
Nutrition/Food Facts Quick Study Guide
This tool aims to achieve optimal health for your body and mind. It features six laminated pages that offer a comprehensive and easy-to-understand overview of the nutrients your body requires and how food can impact your bodily functions. The tool also includes tables providing nutritional information for specific foods and recommendations based on age and gender.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Quick Study Guide
Check out this ultimate quick reference source for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with this 4-page laminated guide! You'll find a comprehensive and systematic overview of the fundamental principles of TCM and its related disciplines, including Qi, Ying and Yang classifications, pathogens, and diagnosis and treatment methods. The guide also explains the basic principles of herbal medicine clearly and concisely. To help you understand these concepts, helpful anatomical diagrams are featured.
To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in this study guide. I've found my Food Energetics poster to be more helpful. However, this may change as I learn more about TCM.
Veterinary Assistant Quick Study Guide
The media has projected a post-pandemic veterinarian shortage. While the AVMA doesn't support this assessment of the profession, I believe it's a good idea for pet owners to become more knowledgeable about pet health care. This will save us time, help us “cure” small ailments at home, and reduce our vet bills.
The Veterinarian Assistant study guide will help pet owners achieve this goal with this 6-page study guide, which provides the most comprehensive information on properly treating pets in a medical setting. Discussions of various veterinary terms and procedures and useful guidelines and rules are included on each page; additional information is broken down into full-color images, charts, and graphs for easy reference.
This guide helps demystify veterinarian language, improving communication between pet owners and their veterinarians.
I use this guide for informational purposes, not as a replacement for veterinarian care.
Vitamins & Minerals Quick Study Guide
Maintaining good long-term health is essential, and the study guide for Vitamins and Minerals is an excellent aid in understanding how to achieve this. The guide presents a convenient table format that lists all the essential vitamins and minerals, along with their recommended amounts and the various disorders they can be used for. In addition to this, it includes information on the types of foods that contain specific nutrients and how different nutrients work together. The guide also explains how various medications can impact the effectiveness of different nutrients.
This is a great guide to have on hand if you've taken a canine nutrition course and can't remember the sources of Vitamin D, for example.
Pocket Guides About Foraging
If you're still hungry for information, you may want to learn more about foraging for edible foods, mushrooms, herbs, and more. The following are pocket guides that will get you started. I don't recommend eating things you find, because there are many plant look-a-likes out there, but these guides are a great start to learning about what's in your area:
- Mushrooms: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar North American Species
- Edible Wild Plants: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar North American Species
- Medicinal Plants: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Widespread Species
- Foraging for Wild Edible Foods: A Folding Pocket Guide to Sustainable Practices & Harvesting Techniques
