spent 700 dollars on at-home allergy tests and a derm consult for our frenchie and i am more confused than when i started, please tell me what the actual playbook is

Hi all. Tuck is a 2 year old frenchie, neutered, otherwise healthy. Since around november he has been licking his paws raw, scratching his face on the carpet, has had two ear infections back to back, and his belly is pink and angry looking. Our regular vet did a skin scrape (no mites), put him on a course of antibiotics and a steroid which cleared everything up for about three weeks, and then it all came back the day we stopped the steroid.

I went down the rabbit hole. I bought one of those mail-in saliva allergy tests because i was desperate. It came back saying he was severely allergic to chicken, beef, lamb, wheat, dairy, dust mites, oak, and basically everything. Reading reviews after the fact those tests are apparently not scientifically valid. So that was 200 dollars. Then i got a derm referral and the dermatologist did intradermal testing and a proper elimination diet plan but she was upfront that figuring out whether his issue is environmental versus food versus both will take at least 12 weeks of strict feeding and probably longer. The consult and tests were another 500 plus a hydrolyzed prescription food that costs 130 a bag.

I am not against doing the elimination diet. I will do it. But im writing because i feel like im flying blind and i want to know from people who have actually done this how to structure my expectations. Specifically: how strict do i actually have to be (does one chicken flavored heartworm chew at month 6 really restart the clock). How do i tell during the trial if hes improving from the food or from the seasons changing. Did you ultimately end up needing apoquel or cytopoint long term anyway and if so was the elimination diet even worth it. And the practical thing, my husband is genuinely worried about giving Tuck a hydrolyzed protein diet for 12+ weeks, can you actually do that long term safely.

I just want one person to tell me what they actually did, not what the perfect protocol on paper looks like.