I remember reading in a book called the Last Chance Dog(Donna Kelleher,DVM) about a German Shepherd who had the degenerative mylopathy and the worst case of arthritis she'd ever seen. The dog was dragging his baack legs behind him and had to be carried all over. What was the quality of life for this dog? Should they have put him down? Well, they didn't. Dr. Kelleher gave the dog five acupuncture treatments ( www.ivas.org) , cut back on the meat but made it of high- grade ( not commercial pet food) because meat adds purines to the joints and makes them stiff. She added glucosamine , chondroitin. In five treatments the dog was running around. So I guess, when a pet seems beyond hope, is he or she really beyond hope or is there something missing that the pet needs and it's up to the caring and concerned owner and vet to find out what the missing thing is.