Holistic vet or Dermatogist?

Several of my cats, who are littermates, have allergies and eosinophilic granuloma complex.  My vet has been treating them mostly with steroid shots and Atopica, we have tried other things in the past but nothing else has made any difference. My vet was corresponding with a dermatologist about their conditions. Their symptoms never fully go away even with this treatment though. One of them has sores on his stomach, he had surgery because we could not get rid of them but since the surgery they have returned. Another gets sores in his mouth, rodent ulcers, lick granulomas on his ankles, hair loss from licking and swollen/infected feet although the Atopica keeps this mostly in check. I do not want to have to keep doing steroid shots every time the symptoms flare up or do another surgery for my other cat. I don't have a lot of money right now thought to go to specialists as I have almost no money coming in right now and I am a grad student, their Atopica is also very expensive...

However I was considering trying to go to a specialist to see if they can give us any other treatment options. I was trying to decide whether a holistic vet or a dermatologist would be a better option to try. My concern with a dermatologist would be they may just want to repeat a lot of expensive testing which my vet already did and end up recommended the same treatments we already tried since my vet had consulted with a dermatologist already. With a holistic vet I am just not sure how much they can help, my vet also does some holistic treatments and we had tried some supplements and things previously. Also the holistic vet I used for my dog is very expensive, it is several hundred dollars just for a consultation visit.

Hmm....that's a tough call. 

If the regular vet already consulted with the dermatologist, then wouldn't going to the dermatologist directly just result in the same treatments? Or would it be a different dermatologist? If it's a different dermatologist, then they might have a whole different outlook. It would be like a second opinion.

As to the holistic vet...is there any chance you could call them and scope out their knowledge/experience with EGC? Maybe they would be honest about whether or not they could help you or if you're better off going to a dermatologist. 

I did a little reading on EGC. You're dealing with a really difficult condition, so I give you props for wanting to take the next steps, even with limited funds.