"Kindred Spirits will touch the depths of your emotions and beliefs, and in doing so, will change the way you live. Read, learn, and open your heart to the animals with whom we share a kinship, and whose stories are shared so beautifully here."
--Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles

"…I’ve long known that patients with pets do better than those without. The bond between animals and humans can improve both physical and mental health. In Kindred Spirits Allen Schoen explores the nature of that bond and shows how the techniques of alternative medicine can help both pets and their owners."
--Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Eating Well for Optimum Health

"Kindred Spirits is an eloquent, moving exploration of a belief I have long held--that animals and humans are intimately connected, and that we do ourselves and our animal friends a disservice when we underestimate the special bond that exists between us. Allen's call for us to embrace and respect our fellow creatures who share this planet is a powerful prescription for life in the twenty-first century."
-Dr. Jane Goodall, author of In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window: My Life with Chimpanzees

"As an animal lover and a firm believer in nonviolence and animal rights, I know that we are all endowed with the divine light of Buddha nature. We are all kindred spirits. This is the profoundly meaningful message of Allen Schoen's wonderful new book, chock full of heartwarming stories of how our spiritual and emotional connection with our pets and animals can bring us closer to the love, connectedness, spiritual wellness and deep sense of oneness and belonging that we all seek."
-Lama Surya Das author of Awakening the Buddha Within 

doing so, will change the way you live. Read, learn, and open your heart to the animals with whom we share a kinship, and whose stories are shared so beautifully here."
-Bernie Siegel, M.D. author of Love, Medicine & Miracles and Prescriptions for Living

"Kindred Spirits is a blessing of a book, honoring the powerful spiritual and intuitive connection between humans, animals, and all of life." 
-Judith Orloff, M.D., author Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight

"Like a modern day James Herriot, Allen Schoen evokes the wonder of the human-animal bond and illustrates how animals anoint our humanity by providing companionship, unconditional love, protection, and nurturance. Animals touch our souls, share our lives, and are our link to becoming better children of God."
-Gregory K. Ogilvie, DVM, diplomate ACVIM and Professor of Veterinary Oncology, Colorado State University

Allen Schoen believes there’s more to medicine than drugs and scalpels. After more than two decades as a veterinarian, he is convinced that a deeper healing power exists, one that goes far beyond the scope of conventional Western medicine.

Over the years, he has witnessed miraculous recoveries in both animals and humans, as well as an incredible interdependence between the two. Most important, he’s learned that love and compassion may be the most effective healing tools of all. Now Schoen shares his amazing discoveries in KINDRED SPIRITS: How the Remarkable Bond Between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way We Live (Broadway Books; February 6, 2001; $25.00 hardcover).

Dr. Allen Schoen is a true pioneer. As a student and then as a young and idealistic veterinarian, he faced critics at every turn for his unorthodox beliefs, including his assertion that animals have feelings and emotions. Though schooled in conventional veterinary medicine, he instinctively knew there was more to treating animals than pumping them full of drugs or resorting to euthanasia. He also knew that they were -- like us -- sentient beings. Angered by what he felt was a lack of compassion, he became a vocal advocate for more sensitive treatment. He also explored and embraced revolutionary research that others ignored, including groundbreaking work on the physical and psychological benefits of human/animal relationships.

Today, as a self-described "integrative holistic veterinarian," Dr. Schoen takes a bold approach to preventing and healing disease: He merges alternative therapies like nutrition, acupuncture and chiropractic, with tender, compassionate care. The results have been nothing less than astounding. Part James Herriot, part Andrew Weil, KINDRED SPIRITS shares the extraordinary details, including…

• Moving true stories of human/animal companions supporting one another through debilitating illness.

• The latest research on how animal companions promote human healing by lowering blood pressure during stress; reducing anxiety and despair among psychiatric patients; increasing survival rates for heart attack patients; increasing self-esteem in at-risk children; improving quality of life for seniors; and much more.

• A seven-step guide to fostering kindred connections between humans and animals.

• The author’s best advice for a holistic animal first-aid kit.

• A natural approach to treating diet and food allergies in animals.

• An eight-point guide to finding the right veterinarian.

Like Susan McCarthy and Jeffrey Masson’s When Elephants Weep, KINDRED SPIRITS is a passionate plea for heightened awareness and respect for species other than our own. A unique blend of science and sentiment, it is a testament to how the human-animal connection can improve quality of life for both. But more research is needed, says Dr. Schoen, and with this book he issues a call to action:

"Better and more research is needed to convince skeptics that animals are a gift to the human race—a gift that humans rarely take full advantage of. Only now are we even beginning to understand what a marvelous blessing animals truly are."

About the author:

Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S., is one of the most sought-after doctors of veterinary medicine in the nation. He frequently lectures at conferences and schools across the U.S. and is the author of three other books, including Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing. An affiliate faculty member at Colorado State University of Veterinary Medicine, he lives in Sherman, Connecticut.

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KINDRED SPIRITS
By Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S.
Broadway Books
February 6, 2001
$$25.00; 352 pages

ISBN: 0-7679-0430-3