Gambit Pets: Winter 2018

WINTER

2018

PET PHOTO

CONTEST

WINNERS 4

PICTURE PERFECT

PET PORTRAITS 9

WHAT SHOULD YOUR PET EAT? 10

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P R O M O T I O N

PRESENTS THE 2018

Holiday

PET PHOTO CONTEST WINNER

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Kubu & Shaka OWNERS: DESIREE AND JONATHAN MCSWAIN

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1: Wallace Bubba - submitted by Claire A. Holly 2: Ollie - submitted by Savannah Chamblee 3: Scout - submitted by Mary Louise Killen 4: Callie - submitted by Nicole Acosta 5: Kiera - submitted by Julie Case 6: Cassie - submitted by Katie Burke

CAMP BOW WOW |NEW ORLEANS - DOWNTOWN

2731 Tchoupitoulas St. New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 891-3647 CAMP BOW WOW - MID-CITY 3301 Conti St. New Orleans, LA 70119 (504) 309-9939

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Soft Tissue Surgery Neurological Surgery Orthopedic Surgery Animal Rehabilitation Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

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Regenerative Medicine PRP and Stem Cell Therapy CT and MRI Robert Hancock DVM, MS, Diplomate, ACVS

2631 N. Causeway Blvd.

Mandeville, LA 70471 Tel: 985-809-1590 www.southpawsvet.com

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Advanced Imaging

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P R O M O T I O N

P R E S E N T S

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SYLVIA HARBIN

BATMAN

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BOB

BURGER

CAMBRIE

CHANCE & HENRIETTA

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SYLVIA HARBIN

STEPHANIE MARTIN

VALENTINE CONNOLLY

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GINGER PIE

GRAVY

HENDERSON

IAN

JAX

JAZZ

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Zeus’ Rescues

Jefferson SPCA West Bank

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GAIL A. COX

MARY & LUTHER BROOME

PETRA & MAGGIE

SYLVIA HARBIN

JENNIFER PAWRENCE

KING

LEON

LUCKY

MAGGIE

MAPLE

LA/SPCA

Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO)

Zeus’ Rescues

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MAX

MAXWELL

MEOWGAN FOX

MILLIE

MISSY

MR. PEACOCK

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In memory of

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DANNY ALBERT

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NILUS

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NORMAN

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Pretty as a (pet) picture

Lillian Aguinaga of Painted Paws captures the regal soul of a dog.

Local artists offer creative ways to capture your pet’s likeness

BY S A R A H R AV I T S

AS ANIMAL LOVERS WILL ATTEST, pets are the real gifts that keep on giving. So why not immortalize them in a unique form of art? Pet portraits are increasingly popular, and a number of local artists have turned their passion for animals into businesses that help pet owners honor their loved ones.

Steve Mercer, who co-owns Portraits for Pits (www.portraitsforpits. com) with his wife, Evie, offers two options for pet portraits: digital portraits and acrylic paintings based on photographs supplied by pet owners, who can upload photographs to the business’ website. The couple creates artwork for all kinds of animals, including cats, ferrets, birds and pigs — not just pit bulls as the name might imply — but they have a soft spot for pit bulls and donate proceeds to various rescue and advocacy organizations for the breed. The company often donates gift certificates to fundraisers for pit bull rescue organizations.

“We do all kinds of custom work,” Mercer says. Each piece takes about six weeks to complete and prices for portraits range from $75 to $275.

The portraits make popular gifts P H OTO B Y G AV I N J O H N S O N

G A M B I T ’ S PETS • W I N T E R 2 0 1 8

Portraits for Pits created this digital portrait of a client’s pet pit bull.

year-round, he says.

“The art is fun and colorful,” Mercer says.

“I think it offers a Laura Helen Marks of Stone fun memory.”

P H OTO C O U R T E S Y A L I C I A H A E F E L E Cold Stones created a mosaic Lillian Aguinaga is VIAL OF LASPCA of a German shepherd. another local artist and The Louisiana SPCA offers pet photos the founder of Painted during Mutt Monday Dec. 17 during Paws (www.artoflillian.

Celebration in the Oaks. com). She creates acrylic Laura Helen paintings of customers’ pets and Marks’ Stone accommodates requests for quirky Cold Stones (www. details to be included in the renfacebook.com/stondition. (One client, for example, ecoldnola) uses a requested that a dog be painted in different medium — “Game of Thrones”-style regalia.) colorful mosaics — Aguinaga’s prices depend on the to capture the likesize of the canvas and the number ness of furry friends. of pets included, but typically range Often, her creations from $300 to $1,000. She also offers memorialize a pet. charcoal drawings, which start at She says the stones $150, as well as gift certificates. Like function a bit like a the Mercers, she believes in giving tombstone but “less to charity and donates 10 percent of morbid” as they are her commissions to the animal rescue works of art that group of the customer’s choice. can be garden features.

“I like giving back, and it adds a “Most people’s pets spent little extra something to commistime in the yard, and I sense sioning a pet portrait,” she says. that customers really love Julie Dalton Gourgues (www. walking through the yard and juliedaltongourgues.com) is a local spotting their beloved pup, painter who mainly uses oils and kitty or tortoise sparkling acrylics to create pet portraits. Nine in the flower beds, looking years ago, she gave some of her happy,” she says. “The stones friends portraits of their are celebratory.” pets during the holiday Pet owners also can consider season. They were a hit. the Louisiana SPCA’s (www.

“Everybody loved them,” la-spca.org) offerings. Earlier she says, and her portrait this month, the organization painting business began to hosted $25 “Pawliday Pet spread by word-of-mouth P H OTO B Y B E V I L K N A P P Portraits,” photo sessions and on social media. “It’s Julie Dalton Gourgues’ pet portrait during which families could really very gratifying,” she of a dog named Molly. have their pets’ photos says of the work, particsnapped alongside holiularly because she often day props and costumes. Another spends time with her subnotes Rebecca Melanson, the SPCA’s jects, getting to know program called “Mutt Mondays” takes communications coordinator. their personalities. place during Celebration in the Oaks No matter the medium, Aguinaga “It’s a fun, collaborative at New Orleans City Park. On Dec. 17, perhaps sums it up best: “When effort,” she says. “They’ll Louisiana SPCA team members will be you see someone react to getting send me photos, we’ll go on site to assist with the seasonal dog the gift of a pet portrait, it’s pretty back and forth, and they celebration and run a photo booth. special,” she says. “Pets are like get to see the process, children — they mean a lot to us; “Photos of your pets during the they are special creatures. A starting with the sketches, holiday season help you celebrate pet portrait is one of the most and they can approve of and remember each and every thoughtful gifts you can give.” things as we go along.” holiday spent with your loved ones,”

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What’s dinner?

FOR

An FDA warning and the case for rethinking Fluffy’s fancy diet B Y K AT H E R I N E M . J O H N S O N

WE ALL WANT WHAT’S BEST FOR OUR FIDOS, FIFIS, FEATHERY FRIENDS AND FERRETS, especially when it comes to our pets’ nutrition.

Pet food companies are capitalizing on the many niche human diet movements — low-fat, low-carb, grain-free and high- and low-protein nutrition plans abound. Thanks to the booming premium pet food industry (which, according to Petfood Industry magazine, brought in $8 billion in 2016), your precious furbutt can “enjoy” the same dietary restrictions you do.

However, if you suspect your pet is more than just “hangry” about his specialty food, you may be right.

In July, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) sounded an alarm about a potential link between grainfree pet foods and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). DCM is a disease in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged, hampering its ability to pump blood, which can lead to congestive heart failure. The illness is life-threatening, so if your pet exhibits any signs of the disease (weakness, shortness of breath, coughing or fainting) — whether or not it’s on a grain-free diet — it’s crucial to take action immediately.

The exact cause of DCM is unknown.

Animal scientists believe there’s a

genetic component, since the disease shows up most often in large and giant breed dogs such as Great Danes and Newfoundlands. But a deficiency of nutrients such as taurine, an amino-acid essential to the metabolism of fats, also can affect the normal function of the heart. According to consumer reports filed with the FDA, DCM was diagnosed in smaller breeds of dogs that were fed a grain-free diet. The FDA hasn’t declared that grain-free diets are the cause of DCM in these animals, but the link is strong enough that consumers should be wary. Some food companies now add taurine to their grain-free foods, but there isn’t

scientific evidence that the supplement eliminates the risk of DCM. As of July, only dogs were affected, but all pet owners should be concerned. An article by veterinarian Lisa M. Freeman in the November issue of the “Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association” warns against what Freeman and her colleagues call BEG diets — boutique companies, exotic ingredients and grain-free — and their potential to negatively impact an animal’s health. Freeman also thinks a taurine deficiency may not be behind these cases of DCM. In some cases, dogs with the disease that were fed a BEG

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diet had normal levels of taurine, suggesting that the illness is more a function of the way these diets affect nutrients and their bioavailability (the ability of the body to absorb and use those nutrients).

» But it says it on the label Pet food labels are full of buzzy jargon that gets consumers’ attention based on what they think about their own nutrition: human-grade, limited ingredients, raw-frozen, natural and organic. Grain-free foods have one of the largest niches of premium pet foods, raking in a whopping $3 billion in 2016, according to Petfood Industry.

Exotic proteins such as bison, salmon and even kangaroo are now listed as casually as the standard chicken or beef.

“There’s not necessarily a correlation between what [a food] costs and how good the food is,” says Ned Henry, veterinarian at Crescent City Veterinary Hospital, and — just as is the case with people food — some of these marketing terms are meaningless because they’re unregulated.

There’s no Department of Agriculture (USDA) equivalent for the manufacturing of pet foods, even though the FDA does work with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to issue guidelines and announce recalls. Henry considers AAFCO to be the go-to source (other than your veterinarian) for advice and

data about pet foods, but AAFCO doesn’t offer a comprehensive list of approved foods, and you won’t see an AAFCO “seal of approval” on a bag of kibble, so it’s still tough to get precise advice on your own.

“People will choose foods for their pets based on what they choose for themselves,” Henry says. “I’m not saying that’s wrong, but ‘organic’ doesn’t necessarily mean anything in pet food. There’s just not a rigid policy or enforcement [of those standards].”

» The problem with grain-free diets When humans go for a grain-free diet, often what they really mean is low-carb. But that logic doesn’t apply to pet food.

“There’s no wheat,” Henry says, “but instead, there’s potato or legumes or something. If it’s a simple carb like a potato, there’s not really any nutritional value, whereas wheat has protein and other nutrients in it.”

Henry says there’s no real reason to feed a pet grain-free food. He and

his colleagues do see pets with food allergies, but it’s usually to proteins, not to grains. This is the rare case in which he’d recommend a food made with an exotic protein, but a balanced food is still the name of the game.

“Taking out the protein all together and being a vegetarian or taking out the carbohydrates is not a balanced diet, “he says. “(Pets) need all that.”

» What should I feed my furbutt?

“I wouldn’t spend a lot of time looking at the ingredients list,” Henry says. “I would go with something made by a reputable company with a long track record.” Choose a quality dry food that’s appropriate for the pet’s life stage, especially with young puppies or kittens and elderly animals. For middle aged animals, most dry foods will suffice. But, in 2016 (according to Petfood Industry), there were 559 different pet food brands. Which one do you choose?

“Big food manufacturers like Purina, Science Diet, Royal Canin and Iams — generally speaking, they have better

quality control because they have the resources for it,” Henry says. These food companies also employ veterinary nutritionists and food scientists to make the food — something consumers would think was a no-brainer, but isn’t actually required by the FDA. As counterintuitive as it may seem, when it comes to pet nutrition, simple and big box is better.

Additional resources AAFCO (www.aafco.org) provides a comprehensive explanation of pet food jargon and its own pet food standards.

CRESCENT CITY VETERINARY HOSPITAL (524 Jefferson Ave.,

504-894-0752; www.crescentcityvet.com) specializes in pet nutrition.

The FDA’S SAFETY REPORTING PORTAL (www.safetyreporting.

hhs.gov) is a resource for reporting cases of DCM potentially linked to pets’ diets.

TUFTS UNIVERSITY’S PETFOODOLOGY SITE (www.vetnutrition.

tufts.edu) contains scholarly journals, studies and clinical nutrition advice for consumers and veterinarians alike.

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