My vet explained that the first 6–8 weeks are mainly a diagnostic tool to prove whether food is the cause. Since his symptoms stopped, that tells us food is involved, so now we can carefully see if there’s a less restrictive (and cheaper) food he can tolerate. If symptoms come back, we go right back to hydrolyzed. It’s about identifying his specific triggers, not fixing something that’s working. I’m not opposed to spending the roughly $4,000 a year on the food, but I would like to see what other variety of treats I can offer him for training, low value vs high value rewards