Hello, I'm a new rattie owner, she's 4 months old and came from a rescue shelter.  When we brought her home she was on Eukanuba and Nutrisource (can't find it anywhere).  Her stools were good at that time, meaning  they were solid.  I ran out of the nutrisource so just kept giving her the Eukanuba.  She became VERY itchy and had mucousy stools.  So after ALOT of research I decided on California Naturals puppy formula.  I phased out the Eukanuba over 5 days.  Her itching is better, but she has pudding poop! The vet said I could give Kaopectate, which I did but hasn't helped.  I bought pumpkin today so I am hoping I will see some improvement.

My questions are:  Do you think the pudding consistency is normal because of the food change or should I be worried?  How long would that last?  Also, I have read a lot on the site re. food, but no one has mentioned California Naturals, does anyone have any experience with it?  There are no filler/corn/etc, and dogfoodanaylsis.com had good ratings for it.  How much time should I give it before deciding the food isn't working?

Oreo does have energy and looks healthy.  I'll have to post pictures later I haven't uploaded any yet.

thanks! Carrie

California Naturals is excellent food.  It's made by Natura,  who also makes Innova and EVO.  I agree with Tracey, just give it some more time.  You might want to check the amount of calories in both foods,  it's possible that Cal Naturals has more and you won't need to feed as much.  Overfeeding can cause loose stools also.  I'd give it at least a week, maybe two.

Thank you both for your speedy replies.  I have decreased her food a bit just by seeing what she leaves behind.  I feel her 3 times per day about 1/4 -1/3 cup each time.  She usually leaves a little bit behind each time.  I will wait it out a bit longer.  The vet had checked a sample last week and all was well, so I'm not too worried that it could be anything else.

I love this site by the way.  I came across it by chance and have been addicted to it ever since!  I'll get those pics on soon

You've gotten some good advice already...just wanted to say welcome to rt.com and congrats on your new furkid! Can't wait to see pictures of her, and let us know how she does on the new food !

I have a dog food concern. I've had Ella since June of last year.  I've tried different kinds of dog food. I know not to change it a lot. She's very picky. Right now she's on VF. It's suppose to be the best since Diamond dog food. Anyways, it takes her 2 to 3 days to eat a bowl of it. She just takes a bite when she goes by it. She's very healthy & active not to eat much. I don't give her a lot either. It's just that she worries me. She doesn't get excited about food like other dogs do. She flips out over treats though. Any suggestions on food? How well is that raw food diet? I've heard about it, but I really don't know what it is. I just need some options. I haven't really done anything about it because I've never found a site to talk to other people about it. I just happened to find this site. By the way I love it! 

Needing food advice!   

What do you mean by VF? Do you mean Arkat Nutrition VF? Because it looks like a pretty good dog food, although it doesn't seem to have a lot of meat in it. It's hard to tell what is best for an individual dog's diet, though...for example, some dogs are allergic to poultry and grains, while many dogs do just fine on them.
I wouldn't really worry about her not eating her food all at once, my dog usually eats a little and them saves some for later...unless we put some kind of treat on it.
As for raw food, I honestly think it is the best way to go, although some may disagree. The main concern would be parasites like worms, however, a dog's digestive system is shorter and not as susceptible to them. Many dog breeders feed their dogs an all raw diet, and they usually do just fine. You'd probably have to treat them for heart worm all year round and get your dog regularly checked for other worms and parasites. If you don't want to worry about such things, you can try getting raw food and cooking it for your dog.

well ..welcome ella...(rimes ha>)2  ANSWERS...I wouldn't worry 'bout the food thing your lucky! my boys are PIGS! evfen little CAESAR WHO IS(WAS TINY Too)doesn't eat much,but is still a fatty! after you get her spay'd she might PLUMp up!aND i ALSO GO TO THE BUTCH AND GET THEM LOTS OF FRESH MEATY BONES AND THEY EAT PROBABLY JUST AS MUCH FRESH AND THERE DRY (NATURAL BALENCE)aND THERE IN PERFECT WEIGHT TOO ('CEPT CAESAR)@ND AS FOR WAYS TO UP LOAD PIX...TRY 

photobucket.com! free and easy to do avatars and shrink pix for this site,I have Mictosoft Office too so I use Picturemaker its great to shrink stuff here are some.I did this on Photobucket!easy too once you shrink 'um just COPY and Paste! easy!.. 

Thanks guys! VF is Vet Formulary or something like that. I threw away the bag. All I know is that it's suppose to have all good things in it. It's made from real products. My boyfriend bought it for me. That's why I don't know much about it . He's the dog expert. But he has a chocolate lab & she doesn't like the food either.   

Boy is THAT trhe truth!! Junk Food...like chips and dip to them!

YOGI has pickily eaten Nutro, Buffalo, Natural Balance , so on...now it is Blue Organics ($$$$15 a 5# bag!!!!)

I've HAD it...Blue organic is ALL he shall get...(until it's gone...ahem!) along with cottage cheese, and homemade soup added...yeah...I AM a sucker for cute boys!

funny...I've got my pickyest caesar EATING up(he'd rather starve) the Natural balence with the SALMON OIL on it! I guess he thinks its CAT FOOD!I won't tell him!

the nice thing about Natural Balence IS that its for PUPS &OLDER! and it comes in 2 bite sizes too! even the regualr size which I just switched to is one little rounds flat circles @1/2 big easy to chew for big pups! and it son SALE!!! right now at PETCO for 24-26$ for 17 lbs(all sizes)! it lasts me 2 weeks with my 4! but they get lots of fresh meat every week too,so it last's me I also put green beens in it too w/salmon or olive oil too...they love it!!they people are FLOCKING to the store to buy it!!! large size of (small bite) was ALREADY gone!!!do you think other... people read this BLOG?

My dogs get NB small bites too...for puppies and adults...