When do you call it quits?

How do you say no to that face? How do you tell your dog that he gets to stay miserable, because you can't afford to make him better? Since we got Balou, he's had skin issues. We have finally figured out what those issues are, and it's not going to be pretty. It's not leprosy, like we call it. Just allergies. Allergies to everything! Dust mites, food mites, and fleas. Awesome! Dust mites are everywhere. You can't get rid of them no matter how much you clean. We have to get him new bedding, throw away blankets he's claimed that I made forever ago, and keep him off of fabric. But what do you do if he won't lay down or sit unless there's fabric under him?! Food mites are in everything. The food we're going to have to buy for him each month equals are entire monthly food budget for our family. But it's the only mite free food out there. After 4 months, we should be able to switch him to a cheaper yet still ridiculously priced food. Fleas can be taken care of with regular bathing. Balou HATES water. It's too cold to bathe him outside. I can't get him in the tub or shower. You try wrestling with a 150 lb dog, while pregnant, and let me know how that works out for you :). So baths are out of the question till summer.

So what do we do? He scratches himself until his skin is raw and bloody, or gnaws on himself till he bleeds. I know he's miserable. But he's part of the family. He's my cuddle buddy with Taft gone (and yet with all that crap going on in him, do I really want to be cuddling with him?). And he's Taft's dog. Taft will die if we have to get rid of him. So what do we do? Redo our budget just for our dog? Or say sorry Balou, you get to just be miserable and we'll do the best we can? Ugh. I think I'd be ok without him, and then he comes up and gives me a hug when I'm crying, or burrows into my legs when he knows I don't feel good. When he hears something different, he's at my side standing guard. And lately, he loves laying with his ear against my belly, I guess listening to baby. How do you just get rid of that?