The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to ban the sale of certain rodenticides to the general public, a move which could help prevent one of the most frequent causes of pet poisoning.   In addition to banning the most toxic anticoagulant rodenticides (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone and difenacoum), the agency also plans to stop the sale of most loose bait and pellet-form rodenticides to cut down on accidental poisonings of children and pets.

With the emergence of the worlds largest periodic cicada brood has come an uncomfortable problem for some Southern dogs: diarrhea.

Dog treat manufacturer Bravo! is voluntarily recalling boxes of Bravo! Pig Ears Chews due to possible Salmonella contamination, the FDA reports.

Pennsylvania state officials killed a rabid beaver in a Phildelphia park last week.

Don’t miss out on the timely and informative stories on Trends Today. Some recent stories that have appeared are: Oregon cat contracts the plague CPAs feud with IRS over accounting software audits Wounded warriors and troubled teens Check out the Tip of the Day!

by Jack Sommars Studies show that 10% of all troops returning from Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Until recently, antidepressant drugs, counseling and therapy were the only means available to treat this debilitating illness. But, today, veterans who are at the end of their rope are finding comfort at the end of a leash. Specially trained psychiatric service dogs are interrupting their partners’ nightmares, reminding them to take their medications, warning of approaching strangers and reducing their anxiety and stress. Veterans with PTSD can now feel safe in darkened theaters and busy supermarkets or even while driving. After only a week with his dog, one veteran’s wife reported, "My husband and I have done more things together in the last six days than we have in the past six months because Mitzy was there and Gary was not afraid."

Feral cats are more active and have a much larger range that pet cats, according to a new study.

Dogs and humans have shared many things over their 10,000-year relationship. Now it seems that the two species may have shared some genetic material as well, exchanged through the transmission of viruses, according to a new study from Uppsala University in Sweden. The researchers studied the genome of a female boxer and looked for chains that corresponded to known retroviruses, which can integrate themselves into the genome of their hosts. They found that only 0.15% of the canine genome was made up of these endogenous retroviruses (ERV), compared to about 0.8% in humans and 2% in mice.

Primal Pet Foods has initiated a voluntary recall of their Feline Chicken & Salmon Formula due to possible Salmonella contamination, the FDA reports.

A new study from Harvard University shows that dogs drink the same way as cats do, using "adhesion of liquid to the tongue tip."