Hand Me the Skillet

A couple of months ago I was invited to an informal lecture on dog medical issues and nutrition given by a local holistic vet, and brought home a sample of a premix dog food that I'd never heard of called Urban Wolf. I'd been thinking a lot about raw and home-cooked diets for Arthur, who has a lot of skin issues, but hadn't found one that I was particularly keen on. This one was basically a dehydrated formula of fruits, vegetables and herbs that you mix up yourself with meat and various other ingredients and serve up to your pooch.

It didn't sound much different from the others, but what eventually sold me on Urban Wolf, aside from the facts that 1) it came recommended from a doctor who actually knows something about animal nutrition (unlike some other vets) as well as alternative medicine, and 2) this particular diet apparently resolves the kind of skin issues that Arthur suffers from, I was told that 3) it is incredibly easy to prepare AND you can make a week's worth to stick in your freezer. It all comes down to convenience in the end.

Because, you see, I do not cook. DO NOT. I mean, I can follow a recipe just like everyone else (I went to junior high when they were still requiring girls to take Home Economics), but I CHOOSE not to and have zero shame about this fact. Plus, when your boyfriend is willing and incredibly able to wear the apron in the kitchen, why push the issue? Everybody's happy.

So, unbelievable as it may seem, I drove up to the vet's office in Calabasas this afternoon, picked up a bag, came home and ACTUALLY COOKED IT UP. That's right. On the stove, with spatulas.

And it was every bit as easy as I'd been led to believe.

Here's the breakdown:

2 cups of the mix, which looks like this:


2-3 cups water
1/4 lb canned wild salmon
1 egg
1/4 cup sunflower oil
2 lbs organic ground chicken, raw or lightly cooked

(If you add the meat raw, you won't have to do any real cooking at all!)

Throw it all in a bowl and it looks like this:


Mmmm, delicious.

Arthur was certainly excited about it.



And the rest of that batch now lives in the freezer (under the vodka) until the next meal.

Awesome.