Regular blood pressure measurements in dogs provide information on how efficient the heart is and how elastic the blood vessel walls are.
Regular blood pressure measurements are common practice in humans. For some time now, they have also been possible in dogs and have even become common practice in many veterinary practices. This is because permanently elevated blood pressure can pose serious health risks in dogs, just as it does in humans.
Elevated blood pressure in dogs
The causes of high blood pressure are usually due to other diseases, e.g. kidney damage or hormonal disorders, which occur more frequently with age. By measuring blood pressure, these can be detected and treated at an early stage before further damage occurs.
On the one hand, the heart isat risk as it has to pump against the increased resistance. This can be followed by circulatory problems, weakness, breathing difficulties and movement disorders. Secondly, the kidneys are often affected by the consequences of increased blood pressure.
The vet can use various medications to treat the dog: on the one hand, vasodilators, which help in acute cases, as well as so-called beta-blockers for long-term reduction of blood pressure, which are also given to heart patients in human medicine in a similar form. Finally, there is the possibility of positively influencing the disease through a low-salt diet and possibly reducing excess weight.
How is blood pressure measured in dogs?
The vet usually places a cuff around the dog's leg and pumps it up until the blood flow is briefly interrupted. The pressure is then reduced again, causing the blood to flow back again and a pressure gauge can be used to read how high the blood pressure is. It is important during the procedure that the animal is not too excited, as this could result in falsely high values.