Amazon.com
Veterinarian Allen Schoen builds this instructional video, based on his book, around his Five Pillars of Natural Health. He crams his lecture with inspirational stories and jokes in which animals get the last laugh and packs his audience with pet lovers, their dogs, and the occasional well-behaved cat. The result is a fast-paced and informative 75 minutes in which Schoen teaches caretakers how to strengthen their bond with their animals and keep them healthy. That includes looking for signs of illness during grooming, avoiding environmental poisons, preparing organic and home-cooked meals, and using natural therapies. A sincere, bearded man with elbow patches on his sports coat, he lectures from a stage with enlarged photos of cats and dogs in the background. The audience clapping and grinning can distract at times, and some of the transitions are rather abrupt, but the overall thrust of this tape is useful tips on pet care from birth to "Kindred Farewells."
--Kimberly Heinrichs
