II am in a bit of a dilemma, so would appreciate input.
We have a 10 year old French Bulldog. Always had environmental allergies, resulting in red patches on her belly and sore paws. She also has a long history of tummy upsets, being sick, runny poo etc.
Last October she had a very bad reaction to something, her itching and soreness erupted overnight and was accompanied by V&D. Cue numerous trips to the vet, various injections, tablets and change of diet. The vet said she had a very bad allergic episode and this had affected her inside as well as outside and had triggered a reaction to her normal food. We were advised to change her diet to an insect protein based diet. We can buy it in the pet shop - Yora. This whole episode dragged on over about 5 - 6 weeks and she lost a lot of weight.
Here we are in February, she is still having bouts of being sick and alternates between runny poo and firm poo, and she really doesn't like the insect food. Its a struggle to get her to eat it The other issue is, even if she does eat it, she shows signs of discomfort (stretching and bowing) if she eats a lot in one go, so I am feeding her little and often throughout the day. And she hasn't put much weight back on.
The Yora costs £5 - £6 a day if she eats the quantity she is supposed to - but she is still sick and has intermittent runny poo.
The food she was on before (a hypoallergenic one) costs £1 - £2 a day if she eats the quantity she is supposed to.
Having now had 4 months of daily stress around whether or not the dog is going to eat, whether to cave in and give her something else, or stick to the Yora even though she doesn't really like it, having to plan my day around feeding the dog little and often, etc., I am feeling a bit strung out about the whole situation. and possibly not thinking straight.
I could go back to the vet, but the vet said last time that the next step would be a £1200 ultrasound to check for obstructions or other issues. I don't think its an obstruction but am wondering if its something a bit more serious.
But even if I had the ultrasound and they found a cancer or something else, I am not sure I would necessarily put her through a major operation, and being a French Bulldog it comes with its own risks anyway. We put a younger cat through cancer treatment and it was obviously quite traumatic for the cat and was ultimately unsuccessful. So i am not sure I want to repeat that experience.
So, my dilemma is - do I just say "Sod it" and revert to giving her the food she likes and will eat, and hopefully put some weight back on, and see how she is in a month or two - and consign the insects to the cupboard.
Or do I take the bull by horns, go back to the vet and pay £1200 for an ultrasound to either be told there is nothing to see, its all just her usual tummy issues, or there is something - but then not necessarily do anything about it.
We do have insurance, and cost is not the driving factor., but paying £4 a day extra for food she often refuses and ends up wasted, and then I open the other stuff anyway, does have an impact on our monthly budget.
This issue has dominated my life for about 4 months now and I think I need a bit of perspective from others.