DVA    326 Bridge Street   *   Dedham, MA 02026  *  781.326.2800 

This cat is having his

Blood pressure measured. 

Hypertension

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. It means that there is too much blood trying to flow through too small of a blood vessel.  A similar phenomenon can be observed when you place your finger over the opening of your garden hose. This excess pressure can cause small ruptures in the walls of the blood vessels. Lots of little ruptures can cause big problems for important parts of the body such as the kidneys, brain and eyes.  In fact, sudden blindness can be the first sign of high blood pressure. Hypertension also increases the risk of embolism (blood clots) which can cause life threatening organ damage. 

How is hypertension diagnosed?

Your veterinarian may find suspicious signs on a routine physical examination such as changes in the blood vessels within the eye called retinal vessels or heart sound changes. Often, there are no signs on the physical examinaiton. A blood pressure measurement is the only way to tell for sure if an animal is hypertensive. Routine blood pressure screening of all senior cat and dog patients is highly recommended.  In humans, blood pressure is easily measured with an inflatable pressure cuff and a stethoscope.  The doctor or nurse taking a human’s pressure can hear changes that correspond to systolic and diastolic pressure.  In veterinary medicine, our patient’s small limbs make hearing the blood pressure next to impossible using just a stethoscope.  For this reason, many devices exist for measuring blood pressure, but most commonly a cuff with an ultrasonic Doppler probe is used by veterinarians.

What is could be causing my pet to have high blood pressure?

Usually hypertension is caused by kidney disease, thyroid disease, Cushing’s disease, Diabetes Mellitus, cardiac disease, various hormone abnormalities or various cancers. Your veterinarian will want to perform comprehensive blood tests and a urinalysis to determine the cause of the hypertension. Rarely there is no specific cause of the high blood pressure (idiopathic hypertension), but this cannot be determined without a full diagnostic work-up.

How is high blood pressure treated?

Sometimes by controlling the underlying cause the hypertension will resolve but usually a blood pressure medication will be required. The most common medications prescribed to pets are enalapril, benazepril, amlodipine and atenolol. Once on medication, your pet will need periodic blood pressure measurements to monitor response to therapy. Salt restriction and maintenance of a healthy weight are always a good idea. If the eyes have been affected by the hypertension your veterinarian may send you to a veterinary ophthalmologist since diagnosis and treatment of eye problems is often complicated.

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