Hoof care
The issue of hoof care is a subject of great debate. Corrective shoeing can be beneficial to horses suffering from navicular disease, although sometimes the effects are only temporary. Others believe that removing the shoes altogether is the best way to manage this disease, as it allows increased circulation to the hoof. People on both sides agree that proper hoof shape and angle are an important long-term management plan for a horse with navicular disease. As with laminitis, different horses may respond in different ways to a given technique, so the farrier, owner, and veterinarian should work as a team to formulate a plan and to adapt if the initial plan is not effective. People who choose to treat navicular disease through shoeing may use a shoe designed to lift and support the heels. This can sometimes be accomplished with a flat shoe and trimming alone. Wedge pads or wedged shoes are often used, but can amplify heel-related problems if present. Another strategy is to use a bar type shoe. Often, an egg-bar shoe, or straight bar shoe. Some horses benefit from shoes that change the breakover of their foot (like a rolled toe). With or without shoes, the hoof must be trimmed in such a way as to restore the balance and angle that may have been lost. Horses with long toe-low heel conformation need careful trimming to counter this. Horses with upright feet may need their heels lowered and a shoe that will allow their heels to spread.
Hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP) is an autosomal recessive form of hemolytic anemia characterized by an abnormal sensitivity of red blood cells to heat and erythrocyte morphology similar to that seen in thermal burns or from prolonged exposure of a healthy patients blood sample to high ambient temperatures. Patients with HPP tend to experience severe hemolysis and anemia in infancy that gradually improves, evolving toward typical elliptocytosis later in life. However, the hemolysis can lead to rapid sequestration and destruction of red cells. Splenectomy is curative when this occurs. HPP has been associated with a defect of the erythrocyte membrane protein spectrin and with spectrin deficiency. It was characterized in 1975. It is considered a severe form of hereditary elliptocytosis. Causes
Mutations of the alphaspectrin gene causes this disease. HPP can be considered as a subset of hereditary elliptocytosis. Diagnosis
Genetic testing for the presence of mutations in protein molecules is considered to be a confirmatory testing technique. It is important to know the risks regarding the transmission and dangers of HPP. Treatment
Splenectomy is a possible treatment

See also
Erythrocyte
Poikilocytosis
List of hematologic conditions

References


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