Foal with Cognitive Disorder Thrives

you're listening to an article from horse canada.com. foal with cognitive disorder thrives by: kim izzo |. an apha foal in nova scotia born with a rare cognitive disorder is doing well, thanks to generous donations from the public. the little filly, named easy, has had a complicated life so far. according to a story from global news, her owners at meadow brook stables in alton were afraid she wouldn’t live long. “unfortunately, during the [birthing] process, the mare stood up and pulled easy back in and she aspirated some fluid because of that,” meadow brook co-owner kaila watters told the global reporter. advertisement scroll to continue with content known as dummy foal syndrome, or neonatal maladjustment syndrome, the condition is found in only two per cent of newborn foals. “basically, it’s like their brain isn’t turned on. so she struggled with basic life skills like standing, she didn’t recognize the mare, she would get stuck in corners, bumping into the wall, she couldn’t see.”. fortunately for easy, her owners were determined to do what they could and began with intensive treatments including squeeze therapy to stimulate her cognitive function. the filly was also dispatched to a veterinary neonatal unit in prince edward island. watters said the vet care was doable thanks to $11,000-plus in donations. “horse breeding and horses are not all rainbows and butterflies. there are bad days, and we had a lot of them with easy initially,” she tells global news. “but the gofundme has been absolutely amazing; it literally saved her life. we wouldn’t be able to have her here without the support of so many people.”. new video on the farm’s facebook page shows easy frolicking in the paddocks and looking like any normal, healthy foal.