Gambit Pets: Summer 2026

SUMMER 2026

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Love Isn’t a Treat

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What my dog’s weight loss journey taught me about myself

BY E V E C R AW F O R D PE Y T O N

FOR ME, FOOD IS LOVE. You

treats and human food are OK in moderation,” says Dr. Joseph Vaccaro of Metairie Small Animal Hospital – Freret.

The problem was, I wasn’t giving treats and human food in moderation.

I was giving them in excess. And at his most recent visit earlier this spring, Milo was put on a diet and told to drop about 6 pounds.

Part of me bristled. I have fought multiple rounds of internal battles against the 1990s diet culture I was raised in.

But as the mother of two daughters, I want to teach them that you can be healthy at any size – that you should eat a variety of foods that you enjoy (not just SnackWell’s “cookies” and Diet Coke, which sustained me for days circa 1995) and try to move your body every day, but that the focus is on how you feel and not how you look.

Was cutting calories for my dog going to somehow send the wrong message to them?

(Yes, I am a chronic overthinker.)

Was it really that important for Milo to trim down?

“Healthy weight in a pet can limit orthopedic issues as well as endocrine and cardiovascular disorders,” Vaccaro says. “[Excess weight] can cause issues at any age; however, risk factors increase with each year. Obesity can cause problems to develop that can shorten a pet’s lifespan or cause injury to joints, which will decrease quality of life.”

OK, so yes. It really was that important. I want Milo to live forever, and so I followed Vaccaro’s advice, which is as boring for pets as it is for people: “Decrease caloric intake and increase exercise. Limit treats and table scraps.”

Despite all of my spiraling, it’s been fine.

It turns out that dogs do not have complicated relationships with food.

They do not assign moral value to a Maro Snack. They are not trying to reclaim their mental health from decades of Seventeen and Cosmo cover lines urging them to get a bikini body in just 20 days.

They are happy to see food in their bowl. They eat the food. And then, if they are lucky, they get to go for a walk.

Milo is mostly unbothered. His portions are smaller and measured carefully now.

The whipped cream “pup cups” are no more, and slightly questionable

Milo Peyton, 7, was recently told to lose 6 pounds to improve his health PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVE CRAWFORD PEYTON

lunch meat now goes in the trash instead of in his mouth. He still comes over to the fridge when I open it and cocks his head expectantly, but he accepts ear scratches and belly rubs in lieu of cheese.

“Understand that when trying to get weight off a pet, there is no magic pill,” Vaccaro says. “It will take time, effort and consistency.”

He also says pet diets tend to follow human trends, and that what sounds appealing on a label or in a moment of love is not always what’s best long-term.

And that is what I am learning, slowly and somewhat against my will: Love is not always giving more. I learned this with my kids, who I understood would have to have boundaries and limitations to become functional members of society, but I thought I could spoil my dog with no consequences. I couldn’t.

Milo needs me to be responsible here, and so I’m skipping the shortterm joys of sneaking him leftover chicken nuggets in return for what I hope will be the long-term joy of having him here and healthy for years to come.

I still believe food is love. I’m still baking cookies and bread. I’m still making casseroles and doling them out to everyone whenever possible.

But sometimes love also means knowing when to stop.

Milo, on his way to shedding some pounds PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVE CRAWFORD PEYTON

GAMBIT’S PETS • SUMMER 2026

had a baby? Congratulations – I’m bringing you a pack of diapers and potato casserole with a nice side salad and some brownies. Lost a loved one?

Please accept my deepest condolences and this spinach lasagna. Surgery? Job loss? Just returned home from vacation to an empty fridge? You’re getting cold cucumber-sesame noodles or some salted peanut butter cookies or a loaf of homemade sourdough bread, made with genuine 2020 pandemic sourdough starter.

In college, while other people were playing beer pong, I was binge-watching Alton Brown and brining pork chops for a dinner party. For my birthdays, I always chose to cook for friends and family instead of going out. And when I had kids, of course I made their baby food. Even now, in their teen years, I enjoy making their favorite dinners when I know they’re having a rough time. I feed my friends. I feed my kids’ friends. I feed my neighbors.

I put food in the community fridges. I love feeding people.

So naturally, when I got a dog, he was going to eat well. Milo, a golden retriever-border collie-husky mix who just turned 7 and was adopted from Take Paws Rescue when he was only a few months old, has eaten the same thing his entire life: homemade wet food (brown rice, chicken, sweet potato or pumpkin, and mixed veggies) blended with Purina Pro Plan.

“Is it bad for him if I make my own food?” I asked my vet anxiously at his first puppy visit.

She laughed.

“No,” she said. “As long as you mix it with dry food to make sure he’s got the right nutrients, there is nothing bad about making homemade food.

But just know that in about two years, when he won’t eat anything else, you’re going to hate yourself.”

She was right, of course, but here we are.

In addition to his special homemade food, Milo is so handsome and perfect that he needs a steady stream of treats as a reward for existing – mostly Milk Bone Maro Snacks but, more often than I’d like to admit, lunch meat, cheese and dollops of whipped cream.

I told myself this was mostly fine – and my vet seemed to agree.

“Always check with a vet concerning human food and toxicities, [but] both

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Release the Kittehs!

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As the stray cat population swells in New Orleans, now is a great time to consider adoption

Bonde d Insured&

BY JENNIFER ODELL “Kitten season” lasts from March through November in New Orleans WEBCLIPMAKER / GETTY IMAGES

Family-friendly, original, canine-inspired music & familiar cover songs Available for animal rescue fundraisers, dog-friendly restaurants & pubs, and children’s events ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT ANIMAL RESCUE Craig’s Dog Tales album available via all common music platforms

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Feline Dion found a home thanks to Zeus’ Rescue PHOTO PROVIDED BY ZEUS’ RESCUE

data showing when we see the highest levels of community demand.”

The organization is now prioritizing “humane law and rescue services that protect residents and animals in need,” Hicks says.

“If an animal is sick or injured or biting, we would still come out to help,” she says. “But if the animal is in good health, we’re calling on the community to help out and bring in strays.”

As smaller, independent rescue groups scramble to help fill in the gaps, spay and neuter programs have become even more essential to controlling the cat population in New Orleans.

Cheramie from Zeus’ Rescues works closely with Trap Dat Cat — the trap-neuter-release group that sent Feline Dion her way — and helps stray cats and kittens who are suitable for adoption find their “forever homes.”

Larger organizations are also stepping up.

PAGE 11 →

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GAMBIT’S PETS • SUMMER 2026

graph of a 5-week-old orange tabby cat with his head cocked to one side, she immediately stepped in to help.

She and her team took the kitten into their care and posted about him on their Instagram, giving him the name “Feline Dion.”

Boasting “the voice of an angel and the chaos of a tiny rock star,” the kitten needed “a forever home where he can grow into the icon he was born to be,” Cheramie wrote in a post that quickly went viral.

He was adopted within a couple of weeks, but many cats like him aren’t as lucky — especially right now. Feline Dion was born during what rescue groups call “kitten season,” the period lasting from March through November when cat births spike and add to New Orleans’ longstanding cat overpopulation problem, while burdening the city’s limited animal shelter space.

This year’s kitten season could lead to worse outcomes for cats who don’t have homes.

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LASPCA) typically steps in to help rescue kittens off the streets, but the agency needs the community to help. Earlier this year, the city slashed funding for the LASPCA by about 38% amid its ongoing budget crisis. And as a result, the agency reduced its hours and cut some of its previous services, including stray animal pick-ups.

The agency is now doing limited intake and adoption services Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Public relations manager Brittany Hicks says that’s “based on historical

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Buddy Ravits, a former stray, is now a contributing editor at Gambit Pets and a supporter of cat adoption PHOTO BY SARAH RAVITS / GAMBIT

← PAGE 9

What to know before you adopt

For those considering taking in a new furry friend, Prytania Veterinary Hospital’s Dr. Jennifer Foster, DVM, shared these tips on kitten adoption in New Orleans.

Indoor cats lead longer, healthier lives than outdoor cats

“We recommend keeping kittens indoors, where they’re less likely to be harmed by other cats, kids, cars and people,” Foster says. “They’re also less likely to be exposed to viruses and intestinal parasites.”

Feline leukemia and FIV testing is essential, even if they’ve been tested in a shelter.

“Every kitten you bring into your house should be tested for feline leukemia and FIV before they mix with your other cats,” Foster says. Sometimes a shelter will conduct 30 tests at once or do “batch testing” if rescue animals come from the same litter.

So once people adopt a cat — even if the shelter has already done the combo test — she recommends new owners repeat the test in 6 months. “It’s an investment that also protects any other cat you may have at home from being exposed,” she says.

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Feline leukemia vaccination is essential.

“Although we recommend keeping cats indoors, some will always try to get out, so for the kitten series we still vaccinate for feline leukemia, and we do it again for the first adult vaccination series. That way, we get long-term immunity even if the cat gets out,” Foster says.

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Flea and heartworm prevention is a must, even for indoor kitties.

“About 20 to 22% of cats we diagnose with heartworms are entirely indoor cats, but because if you open a window, a mosquito can come in, we recommend a combination product.” She recommends Revolution brand, a top pick among vets.

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As the regional director for Humane World for Animals, previously known as the Humane Society, New Orleans resident Julia Breaux works to locate and lobby for animal care program funds across 10 states, including Louisiana.

Among those are companion animal grants that shelters can use to support foster programs, spay and neuter programs or medical care.

“There’s a [cat] overpopulation problem all over the South but especially in Louisiana,” she says, noting the weather here renders cats’ breeding seasons longer and more frequent compared to other parts of the country.

Plus, she says, national campaigns to spay and neuter pets, which became popular in the 1970s, didn’t catch on as much in Louisiana.

All of these factors mean it’s an optimal time to adopt a kitten, an elderly cat or a kitty with special needs who may otherwise be overlooked.

The LASPCA, Zeus’ Rescues and other groups are offering deals on kitten adoptions, particularly in the spring and summer, when the animals’ needs for homes are so high.

Cheramie cautions that anyone considering pet adoption should bear in mind that indoor cats usually live about 16 years.

That timeline should be a major consideration in a decision to adopt. But there are also other options to help an animal find care.

“If you’re not in a position to make a 16-year commitment to an animal, you can also foster,” she says. “Fostering saves lives across the board.”

Zeus’ and other local rescue groups typically provide starter packs, like food, medication and a litter box.

“All you gotta do in return is love it and keep it safe,” says Cheramie.

And there’s one more thing to help keep up the momentum.

“Send us rescue pictures,” she says.

“So we can post them online, get the cat into a forever home and start again with the next one.”

Kittens 101:

Lake Animal Hospital

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