I really can't even imagine constantly dealing with something so expensive.
Was the allergy test for food allergies?
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like the vet explained the pros and cons of intestinal endoscopy to you. It's great that he found something, but I think at this point we'll just have to hope that he found everything that he needed to (likely did). I'm guessing he didn't explain the fact that some tumors (although likely not a concern here) can be missed as can a large portion of the small intestine! He would have had to go through the pylorus and go around to the duodenum. This isn't always an easy task and not all vets do it (but they probably forget to mention this
). Even when they do, portions can be missed. So a diagnosis like this made with endoscopy may or may not be a solid one. That is why some vets offer (and strongly suggest) full thickness biopsy (abdominal surgery). They'd rather go straight to the test that is more accurate because if they aren't satisfied with the endo results, they'd go there anyway. Of course the endo has advantages (safer, easier on the dog), but then owner may end up paying for both (and some just aren't totally comfortable diagnosis form endo)... I'm not saying it was the wrong choice here (or the right one), but this should have been explained.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Dogs ~ Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
For all those trying Z/D Ultra, I hope it works better for you than it did for us. The same with HA... They were pretty hard on Ellie...