The full extent of Max's ailment was discovered by laboratory testing, which were performed soon after he was taken to the clinic. He had a significant lack of nutrition, in addition to being anemic, dehydrated, and infested with ticks. To keep him alive, he required immediate medical attention, which included receiving repeated blood transfusions and fluids. In the very first instance in which Max was provided with a comfortable bed to relax in, he sobbed before eventually falling into a deep sleep. The realization that something as basic as a warm bed may have been something he had never experienced before was a devastating blow to his heart.