Right?
2015 Dec my parents were leaving MN for their wintering in FL. Their 7-yr-old Aussie had gotten into some pumpkin pie or something like that a few days before leaving, and was having some mild GI signs. I scanned him literally on their way out of town, wasn't impressed, sent them with metronidazole.
Kinda waxed/waned. A month later they go into a vet down in Florida, who runs bloodwork. Albumin was 1.8 or something like that, but according to my parents the vet shrugged it off and gave them more metronidazole. Didn't improve. They went back, still hypoalbuminemic, and still that vet shrugged it off. I heard about it a week later and said "Go to a different vet." They did, rechecked, Albumin still low. That vet referred them to a specialist for GI workup (ultrasound, GI panel, etc.).... dx'd IBD. Started steroid therapy. No improvement. Scoped him for biopsies, path consistent with IBD. He just keeps getting worse, ends up hospitalized on steroids, other immunomodulatory drugs, lyophilized albumin, vet starch, typical GI supportive meds, etc. No improvement, just keeps spiraling down the drain with his PLE. Starts filling up with fluid in the abdomen, etc. $7000 in the hole he's euthanized for his IBD that wasn't responsive to therapy.
Of course it's my parents' dog that doesn't respond to what really was the very best therapy possible.
I feel ya. Family member pets can really suck.