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    Yvonne DeVita, Purina Blogger

    Yvonne DeVita, Purina Blogger

  • Here, Kitty , kitty! Picking out a new cat

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryChoosing a pet for the family seems like a no brainer: you go to your local shelter, or pick a breeder, or have your kids run home from a neighbor's house announcing there are kittens for sale there...and you end up with a nice, fun, happy, loving pet.

  • Does your cat have acne?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryAcne in cats? Who knew? I didn't. But the Pet Health Library has an article devoted to this topic so I thought I'd share. I guess I've seen acne in cats, but I don't think I considered it the same way you consider acne in your teenager. I considered it a skin

  • Your dog's vaccinations

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryLet's talk vaccinations. Things are different today, than they were when I was a vet-tech, way back in that previous century. (never mind how far back!) Today, we still know that vaccinations for our dogs are as important as vaccinations for ourselves or our k

  • What are you getting your pet for the holidays?

    I spend a fair amount of time on Twitter (follow me here @mypetblog ) and recently PetSitUSA sent me a tweet that said 52% of pet owners will be buying their pets Christmas gifts, or holiday gifts, this year.Hmmm... only 52%? Both PetSitUSA and I agree that whoever did that survey (we don't quite kn

  • Doggie First Aid: Tips to Know

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryThe idea of having to give your dog emergency first aid is probably scary - but, it's not something to be ignored. Pets get into things - and sometimes one of those things is "trouble" - either an accident, or a medical condition you didn't know about. It pays

  • Overly aggressive dogs: do you have one?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryAs we settle into our new home, our thoughts turn to getting a new dog. The Wabby, resident Queen Kitty, is more tolerant of dogs than other cats. Getting a kitten or another cat will have to wait.

  • Yay! for Colorado!

    A lot of people are writing to ask if we finally made it to Colorado. The answer is: Yes! All in one piece, too!As regular readers know, Tom (hubby and partner) and I brought the Wabby Wibby, resident Queen Cat, cross-country to Frederick, CO, from Rochester, NY. She was none too pleased to have her

  • Itchy skin - can it be mange?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health Library

  • Visiting the vet - how often is best?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryAs humans, we visit our doctor on a regular basis, and even more often if we get the sniffles or injure ourselves somehow. Those of us who are parents make a lot more visits to the doctor, never willing to let that rash or sneeze just work itself out. It's act

  • Don't give your dog that turkey leg!

    No, I'm not trying to be mean to your dog. I'm hoping to remind you that table food is not dog food. Or cat food, for that matter. But, I'm not the authority on this subject, Dr. Larry has already written about it on both the PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance blog, and on Scratchings and Sniffings, an

  • Canine Influenza - What you should know about dog flu

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryWe're all hearing reports about the H1N1 virus, daily. If we don't see it on the news, we read it in the paper, or we discuss it between ourselves on the phone. This year, the flu has taken center stage in our lives and all of us not only want to be prepared,

  • Traveling with your cat

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryTraveling with your cat doesn't have to be as stressful as it sounds. We all know that cats are territorial - and they like things "just so"... at least, my cat does. So, it seems natural to expect them to, shall I say, freak out if you take them on a long tri

  • No puppies for you, Sir Dog!

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryThe fancy, medical term for neutering is "orchiectomy"... but the rest of us just say we're having Fido "fixed." Isn't that interesting? I wonder who started calling the act of neutering your dog or cat as getting them "fixed." After all, they're not broken so

  • Skinny dogs

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryA skinny dog is a healthy dog, right? Maybe. Maybe not. While "thin is in" for humans (and even that can be debated), the idea that a skinny dog is a healthy dog isn't necessarily so. We talk about diet quite a bit on the Scratchings & Sniffings blog where the

  • National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

    This week is National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Many bloggers - like Romeothecat - are helping out by holding contests and just basically spreading the word, and although tomorrow is the last day for the "appreciation week" we all know that this should be a year-round event. Animal shelters

  • The new puppy -- a how-to on housetraining

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryOn our daily walk around the neighborhood, Tom and I have seen three new puppies either being trained or walked or played with. They make us want one of our own, but we're waiting until we get settled in our new home. Meanwhile, I visited the Pet Health Librar

  • What's going on in your dog's ears?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryDog ears. They're cute and floppy and help dogs express themselves -- my Carmie's ears were part of her enduring charm. But, they are also a part of our dog's anatomy that we should pay extra attention to. When I worked at the vet clinic, ear infections, as we

  • Why does my cat smell like that?

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryIf your cat is an outdoor cat and you begin to notice an unpleasant (ok, a really nasty) odor that trails behind him everywhere he goes, it's time to do a little investigation. You need to scoop him up and gently but firmly give him a good petting, all over hi

  • Beware the care cat!

    Many of you will relate to the term "care cat." It's what we called those kitties who -- well, who were less than cooperative, back at the Cat Dr., the animal hospital I worked in so long ago.Care cats were usually obvious - they arrived hissing, growling, and sending darts from their beautiful gold

  • New dog in the house

    From the PurinaCare® Pet Health LibraryDon't you just love puppies? They're so soft and cuddly and they love to lick your face and crawl all over you, and like babies, they can't help but be adorable.