A once-paralyzed foal is now up and running about with the help of an equine "walker" following a groundbreaking surgery to remove a cyst from the spinal cord, according to the treating veterinarians in Belgium.

The Boulonnais draft horse filly, "Vittel," underwent surgical laminectomy of the L2/L3 vertebrae at one month old on July 3, one week after being diagnosed with a fluid-filled cyst in the vertebral canal which was compressing the spinal cord. Intensive rehabilitation has including standing and walking therapy with the aid of a pulley and sling system–nicknamed the "Vittel-walker"–every two hours, according to the chief physiotherapist, Patrick Herbots, DVM, animal physiologist at the University of Ghent Veterinary School.