Miracle? Maybe... maybe??

So I wrote here about how the vet wanted to run additional tests for Bella's tummy issue. And I also ranted about how ridiculous these millions of tests were, where do we draw the line, how much do we do, and why aren't we treating?

Well, after this call from the vet we had the weekend to decide what to do. We happened to run out of Bella's special hypoallergenic food on a Sunday, a sunday that we met our friends at the dog park to play. I told my friend Gina that I had run out of food and was just giving her the stuff we used to feed her because at this point, nothing was really helping anyway and I needed to get some calories into her. Gina mentioned that she would bring the food she feeds her boxer as it is a high protein, high calorie food and if nothing else would get a considerable amount of calories into Bella. Perfect.

So we leave the dog park and I just give her the new food from Gina. No point in trying to switch gradually, she's already shitting her brains out every day.

A half hour later, I take her to poop and she has the most perfect poop I have seen in MONTHS.

W.T.F. I'm stunned.

She doesn't poop again that night (when usually it would be spray fountains of poop 3-5 more times in a night. Sorry if that's TMI). Again, I'm dumbfounded.

I think she's just having a good day but the next morning, I give her the same food again. PERFECT POOPS ALL DAY.

I have been hesitant to post about this because I don't want to jinx it somehow but it looks like we have found the solution. She has been on this new food for a couple of weeks now and I kid you not, she has put on 5-10 pounds. Easily. She is not emaciated anymore, you can see no ribs. She is scarfing up her food like she's been starving (which, pooping that much, she probably has been).

The only difference in this food? There is 0% grain. None. Nada. Our poor little puppy has had a grain allergy all along.

Oh, and the vet "specialist" (ha) was treating her with a hypoallergenic food that is 100% GRAIN BASED because "most animals have protein allergies." Initially I had asked her about the grain allergy because I thought, like people, animals would only have the grain allergy. The vet said, "No, it's very rare. Most animals are allergic to protein sources." APPARENTLY NOT and enjoy that $2K that we paid you for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Guess it makes sense that on the hypoallergenic GRAIN food, there was no improvement in the slightest.

Did I mention how freaking glad I am that we followed our gut in not going through with those additional tests?

We finally have a healthy, happy, growing puppy. I can't even tell you how excited and happy I am that she is so healthy. It is such a relief.