A colt born with type-1 diabetes might be the first documented equine case of the illness, according to his veterinarian, Nathan Slovis, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky.

The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse, aptly named Justin Credible (his owners say the name was picked out before he was born), was born on Oct. 19.

Justin Credible arrived two weeks early, before his mother was “bagged up” with milk, according to his owner, David Hufana, of Carlisle, Ky. “We were worried about him not getting colostrum, so we called the vet out,” Hufana said.

When the colt failed to thrive despite receiving adequate milk from his mother, the treating veterinarian performed blood tests, which revealed his glucose levels were not normal