Relocated Pitbull / Food Issues

Question
We have a 14 month old female Red-Nose Pit. Two weeks ago Zena came to our home because she was unable to stay with her previous owner. She has been raised since birth w/o issue with her brother. Recently they began to fight. The owner was afraid that they would seriously injure each other and asked us to take her in. She came to us with a pretty decent amount of surface cuts from fighting. We were told she hadn't been eating well since they had separated the two dogs. We realized straight away that she didn't like her food. She was eating Purina Dogchow. But she would pick out only certain pieces. We changed her to Beniful and the first few days she ate very well. Her cuts have all healed almost completely. She's very active. But now we are back to her only eating maybe a handful of food once a day and just a nibble once or twice more than that. She doesn't appear to be losing weight. I just want to make sure that she is getting enough nutrition, especially since she was stressed from the transition. Should we try another dog food? She is crated during the day while my husband and I are at work. But she is active in the evening and on the weekends. Is it possible she doesn't need more food because she is resting all day?

Answer
Now she is on the Beniful, I would stick with it.  With being rehomed, she may eat better once she settles in.  

If the dog never did eat very well, and has seen the vet since the problem existed, you may be over feeding it. A vet check still won't hurt. Many dogs will snarf down more than is good for them and look for more. Others refuse to eat more than than they need. Evaluate the dog as illustrated in this link, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx You may want the vet to confirm your judgment. Adjust the dogs food and exercise as needed to reach its ideal body condition. Some German Shepherds and other breeds may refuse to eat enough to completely hid their ribs. As long as you are feeding a concentrated, meat based chow, the best thing is to accept it.

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.