About the Scratchings and Sniffings blog (and its bloggers)

This Blog's Guidelines

Please Review Before Commenting
This blog is for entertainment and conversational purposes only. The author of this blog is a pet owner and an animal lover. She hopes you are, too.

The following guidelines are a commitment to the readers of this blog. It's expected that readers and commenters will abide by the same rules as the blogger. Understand that the blogger reserves the right NOT to post any comments she considers unworthy of sharing.

1. We will tell the truth. We will acknowledge and correct any mistakes promptly.
2. We will only post comments that are on topic, conversational, and serve to entertain or educate.
3. We will not post comments that are spam, off-topic, rude, or defamatory.
4. We will reply to comments when appropriate as promptly as possible.
5. We will link to online references and original source materials directly.
6. We will disagree with others' opinions respectfully and expect the same from you.

Yvonne and Pandora Yvonne DiVita

This is a pet blog. It's written by me, Yvonne DiVita. You will see sponsors noted — but understand that everything on this blog is my original writing. I may occasionally allow sponsors to suggest content — I may announce new products, or services. The operative word is "may" because this is my blog — mostly about my pets.

I will try to post relevant pet news — from the world of dogs and cats, and any other animals you want to hear about. Just to qualify things a bit: I used to be a veterinarian's assistant — a looonnng time ago. It was fun. Until I got bit! More than once! Irate and/or scared dogs and cats at the vet's office can be very hard to manage!

So, I left veterinary work and took myself over to the dark side: I became a business owner. A writer and publisher. But I never stopped loving those furry little creatures that make my heart swell with emotion. Pets will always be a big part of my life.

I hope to connect with other dedicated, sincere pet lovers, via this blog. I would love to hear about your pets. I would love to get pictures of your pets, to share with the world.

Larry and Darcy Dr. Larry McDaniel

This blog has also introduced me to Dr. Larry McDaniel, so along with my own postings, we'll be treated to his expertise, humor, and opinions in his Ask Dr. Larry Guest Author posts and the Scratchings and Sniffings Out Loud podcasts.

Dr. Larry McDaniel has had a life long love affair with animals. As a boy growing up he spent the summers at his uncle’s ranch working with cattle and horses and roaming the woods on the ranch with his uncle’s collie dog, Pat. By threatening his parents with a permanent move to the ranch he was able to get his own dog which later ended up going to College with Larry. At the University of Montana, Larry studied Wild Life Biology and spent time working with Grizzly Bears and Timber Wolves. During this time Larry met a veterinarian who worked exclusively with wildlife and a career path began to materialize.

Dr. McDaniel graduated from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and entered private practice in Northern Idaho. There weren’t any jobs available with wildlife agencies so Larry worked in a mixed animal practice working on both ranch animals and dogs and cats. Turns out this type of work suited Larry just fine and he opened his own practice in Western Montana. It was here that Dr. McDaniel developed and interest in animal nutrition. He was impressed by the ability to manage certain diseases by altering the diet of the pet. This interest turned into a new career in the Pet Food industry with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Nestlé Purina PetCare, where Larry helped develop a revolutionary new diet to help manage food allergy in dogs. More recently, he's been involved in the development and launch of the new PurinaCare™ Pet Health Insurance and we're working together on the PurinaCare™ Blog.

Larry was elected the President of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition in 1994 and continues to consult with major pet food manufacturers on therapeutic small animal nutrition. He is excited about participating in the blog and hopes to be able to offer some useful information on all issues related to the care of our family pets.