NOTES: Do you believe horses can be neurodivergent? Do you have room on your farm and in your heart for a very "special" young boy? If so, read on....

This is Max. Max is a two-year-old gray percheron gelding who had a very rough start in life. When he was born, he was unable to stand. He struggled for some time but was unsuccessful until his owners assisted him up. He required help every time getting up to nurse. Over the next few days, this led to some complications including skin abrasions from his struggling, and he didn't get quite enough colostrum, the first milk that provides immunity, so he was at high risk for infections. In addition, his owners noticed that he was "not quite right" so after a few days he was brought to an equine hospital for further care. Max spent almost 2 weeks under intensive care at the hospital where he was diagnosed neonatal maladjustment syndrome, also known as a "dummy" foal, which means at some point during his birth his brain did not get enough oxygen. This was evident when he would stare blankly at walls and was deemed inappropriately "quiet-to-dull" mentally. He was treated for multiple infections and slowly gained strength until he became healthy enough to go home.

He was allowed to strengthen and grow at home, although he never resolved the dropped fetlocks on his hindlegs and was left with a large fluid-filled sac on his left hock from his early trauma. When he was 2, his owners asked a friend for help in finding Max his own special home. The plan was to give him some training and see what he was capable of doing. After a short time, the friend realized the extent of Max's special needs. That's when he reached out to CDHR for help.

Shortly after Max arrived,  we gelded him. He had a lot of difficulty getting up after anesthesia and that was our first indication of the real problem. We hoped it was just weakness, but Max was much more resistant to exercising than any normal two-year-old should be. He would have short outbursts of energy, cantering with an odd bunny-hopping gait, and we hoped it was just an adolescent being uncoordinated on such gangly long legs. He was prone to stumbling a bit, and Dr Golub was becoming concerned about whether Max could be a "wobbler". Wobbles is the layman's term for cervical vertebral instability, where a malformation of the bones in the neck can cause compression of the spinal cord and neurologic problems.

Xrays of Max's neck were inconclusive. Through the generosity of our donors, we were able to bring Max to the vet school at Tufts for more extensive diagnostics. The diagnosis still wasn't clear so we tried building strength and giving high doses of vitamin E. With no improvement in a couple months, we scheduled a CT myelogram. For this procedure he was anesthetized, had a contrast dye injected into his spinal fluid, and a CT (cat scan) done on his neck. It was discovered that he has an unusually small spinal cord. The conclusion was there was some instability in his neck bones but because of the smaller spinal cord, it wasn't really pinching anything. Surgery would not be helpful for him.

While many would consider euthanasia for a horse with his issues, we really don't see any signs that he's uncomfortable or suffering. We don't know if the small spinal cord is a birth defect or a degenerative condition but we haven't seen any signs of progression with his neurologic signs. We are hopeful that his condition won't worsen with time but there's no way to predict his future. Our plan is to continue loving on him and keeping him happy for whatever time he has left. Whether it's 2 or 20 years, no one knows. He is socially awkward but not confrontational with other horses (he doesn't seem to understand the "get away, my ears are pinned") so he is low man in the paddock. He gets along great with other horses as long as they aren't a bully. He has a sweet, playful puppy dog personality with humans and we'd love for him to find his own special person who understands he is "different" and that's what makes him so special!