How Do Vets Treat High Blood Pressure In Cats

Often several measurements need to be taken as cats will sometimes be anxious during the process and this can give a falsely high reading. Your veterinarian will recommend the best treatment options for your cat based on her specific needs.

Feline Hypertension

Cardiac and vascular factors influencing blood pressure.

How do vets treat high blood pressure in cats. Proper nutrition for your cats breed and condition is very effective in addressing both the underlying disease and the manifest symptoms. It can have many causes and can often be successfully managed with medication. Medication to regulate your cats blood pressure will need to be given each day.

Treating high blood pressure when present in a cat with failing kidneys prolongs and improves quality of life. Blood pressure was stabilized within 1-2 recheck visits for 96 of cats with a median. Hypertension or high blood pressure in cats can be a debilitating condition if not treated promptly.

Hypertension may be caused by kidney disease hyperthyroidism or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Measuring blood pressure only takes a few minutes is completely pain-free and is extremely well tolerated by most cats. There are effective treatments for controlling high blood pressure in cats.

The management of high blood pressure in cats is centered around reducing the cardiac output and the dilation of the blood vessels. A small inflatable cuff will be placed around the cats limb or tail. To have high blood pressure at the vets office and normal pressure at all other times.

Human blood pressure machines are not appropriate to use with cats so only specialist devices will be used by your vet. Measurement of systemic blood pressure BP is becoming increasingly common in veterinary patients. Much like in humans high blood pressure in cats can go on to cause a range of problems including heart disease stroke and damage to the kidneys or retina.

In general it may be best to avoid excessive sodium intake. If your cat has secondary high blood pressure treating the underlying disease or illness will bring their blood pressure back to normal levels. Initially driven by the diagnosis of hypertension in cats we are now recognising blood pressure issues are also common in dogs.

If your pet is diagnosed with one of the diseases known to cause hypertension your primary care veterinarian should begin monitoring your cat or dogs blood pressure more closely. Many senior cats suffer from chronic renal failure and hyperthyroidism making them prime targets for hypertension. In cats affected by hypertension there might be changes to the appearance of the blood vessels at the back of the eye and to the retina itself.

Amlodipine besylate was used to treat hypertension in these cats and in 50 of the cats the initial dose eventually proved inadequate and an increase was necessary. Occasionally a cat will need both amlodipine and benazapril to control the high blood pressure. These medications make it easier for blood vessels to do their job especially when those blood.

If however the treatment of the primary condition does not result in a lowering of your cats high blood pressure you are probably going to have to start them on some medication to help reduce their heightened blood pressure such as an ACE-inhibitor like Enacard enalapril which works as a vasodilator. If a cat with high blood pressure also has protein in its urine we will use benazapril as our first choice because it also improves kidney function and we will add an additional medication called Rubenal. Your vet will then take several blood pressure tests using an inflatable cuff - similar to that used on humans - around the paw or tail.

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common problem in cats particularly older animals. Normal cats often have transient elevated blood pressure due to the stress of being at the vets and the exam itself. There is no specific diet for hypertension.

A doppler ultrasound machine sends and receives sound waves that bounce off the blood cells inside a blood vessel. A common drug prescribed for these cats is a calcium channel blocker called amlodipine. As part of the health check your vet may also perform an eye examination.

Vets must take the cats temperament and anxiety level into consideration when interpreting blood pressure test results. Instead diet is usually addressed at the underlying cause such as kidney disease or hyperthyroidism. Diet for High Blood Pressure in Cats.

But its best to ask your vet for an individual recommendation. Both medication and lifestyle measures including diet are prescribed. Instead vets usually use a doppler ultrasound machine.

Some of the common treatments for renal disease such as the ACE inhibitors benazepril or enalapril also reduce blood pressure slightly. The biggest difference is that cats have much smaller blood vessels than we do so a stethoscope wont work when listening for a pulse during blood pressure measurement. Diagnosis of hypertension in dogs and cats is made after multiple blood pressure measurements are elevated.

Best Cat Food for Seniors. But if your hyperthyroid cat is stable and her blood pressure remains high then a drug such as amlodipine will be added in for extra oomph. Your veterinarian will want to recheck your cat shortly after starting medication to ensure the right dose is being used.

The treatment decision will also depend on an individual cats risk factors.

Doppler Blood Pressure Measurement In The Cat Use Of The Leg Youtube