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Medication gave family another good year with dog
Tuesday, January 05, 1999 By Sharon Voas, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
It was a real love affair.
He was a white Lhasa apso with honey streaks and a face that could melt the coldest of hearts. They were dog-lovers Bill and Sandy Wilgus of Monroeville. It was love at first sight when they met Max 13 years ago.
"That was our baby," said Bill, 54, an auto shop foreman for a car dealership.
"We were always together. When we went on vacation, he went with us. If we stayed in a hotel, we always made sure it was like a Holiday Inn where they take pets."
The Wilguses relished just spending time with Max every day.
"You know, if I was outside, he was with me, right by my side all the time," Bill said. "He slept on the pillow right above my head every night."
Max loved to play tug - especially with socks tied in a knot. Knotted socks and balls littered the Wilguses' Monroeville home.
About three years ago, Max, who was then 12, started acting strangely.
"He just wasn't himself anymore," Bill said. "He'd go into corners and stand against the wall. He couldn't figure out how to get out.
"He didn't play anymore. He didn't really greet us anymore. His tail would be down. Sometimes he knew his name, and sometimes he didn't. It was like when you walk into an old persons' home."
Max forgot his housetraining and relieved his urges anywhere in the house.
"We did a lot of crying," Bill said. "It's funny how you get attached."
The Wilguses lived with that sad state for about 18 months. They thought many times about whether they should put Max to sleep, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it. Then their veterinarian gave them Anipryl, a drug that is used in Canada to treat canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, the canine equivalent of Alzheimer's disease.
"You could see a world of difference in a couple of days," Bill said. "It was amazing. He knew you were there. He'd greet you at the door."
Max regained his housetraining, and could be trusted to be left home alone all day.
"Standing in the corner almost went away. He wouldn't stare into space anymore. He would play a little bit and get his tug out, but not like before."
Sandy and Bill had another good year with Max before be became seriously ill in May and stopped eating and drinking. "I think it was just old age," Bill said.
Bill and Sandy decided it was time to put him to sleep. "We knew in our hearts we were prolonging something that should be taken care of," Bill said. "We finally realized we'd had a good life with him and it was time to do it."
They buried Max in their yard. Bill carved Max's name in a stone and put it on Max's grave. Sandy planted roses there.
Their German shepherd, Misty, who had grown up with Max, cried every night.
How are the Wilguses doing now?
"It's really tough," Bill said.
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