In millions of households worldwide, pets are considered members of the family. Our emotional bonds with pets go far deeper than many relationships we have with other people.

Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao understand this very well; when his father ate his dog, a devastated Manny ran away from home at age 12 and lived homeless on the streets.

Because your pet's health and well-being is important to you, we have compiled five news stories from this week to help you stay updated on the latest pet care tips, health news, pet technology trends, legislation and more.

  1. If your dog has trouble keeping food down or other digestive issues, Pittsburg veterinarian Dr. Mike Hutchinson recommends adding probiotics to your dog food. "Ninety-five percent of the pathogens or disease-causing organisms come through the gut - through the mouth. Not through the skin. Not through the respiratory tract, but through the gut so it's important - it's vitally important - that we have good balance," he told CBS News. Probiotics for dogs come in a dry powder that is sprinkled on food. When your dog eats, the good bacteria in the probiotics is swallowed. Once in the large intestine, it balances harmful bacteria that can cause problems.
  2. Is your region prone to drought? A predator animal's normal food supply is decreased during drought. Coyotes, bears and bobcats leave the wilderness to search for food in communities and people's backyards. Predators will attack small pets and even large dogs if they are hungry. Check out these tips for protecting your pets at times of drought, such as never keeping pet food or water outside as it attracts hungry predators.
  3. New legislation would protect the pets of domestic violence victims. The Pet and Women Safety Act (H.R. 1258) would assist domestic violence victims of either gender who have pets by making it a crime to threaten a pet, providing grant funding for alternate pet housing and encouraging states to cover pets under protection orders. If the bill passes, abusers who harm pets will have to pay veterinary and other expenses. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations for consideration.
  4. New York veterinarian Dr. Amanda Little says you and your pets are most likely to encounter a tick in the spring, summer or fall, though the insects are around year long. Use flea and tick preventatives to repel and kill the insects. It's important to keep your pet's fur cut short as it is more difficult to find a tick on animals with long fur. "When you think about where a tick might attach, they're walking through grass, make sure to check around the head, the ear and they will attach onto the legs, if shorter grass. However you will see them crawling anywhere," Little says. Lyme Disease is transmitted into the bloodstream in 24-48 hours.
  5. A new General Assembly bill would make it illegal to possess, sell, transfer or breed a dangerous wild animal. House Bill 554, "Protect Public from Dangerous Wild Animals," also makes it unlawful to have direct physical contact with a wild animal, including wolves, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, hyenas, bears, primates and more. People who purchased a dangerous wild animal prior to June 1, 2015 would not be affected by the new law.