Does Your Dog Need a Blood Pressure Test?

Just like humans, dogs can also experience hypertension or high blood pressure. This occurs when, over time, the arterial blood pressure in your dog is abnormally high.

High blood pressure can be a serious health risk for dogs in its own right. As in humans, hypertension may cause problems from your dog’s organs, including the eyes, heart, and kidneys. It can also cause damage to the nervous system. In some cases, high blood pressure may be a symptom of another disease.

Knowing whether your dog requires a test for high blood pressure can be difficult. After all, your dog can’t tell you if they’re not feeling well. Still, there are certain symptoms that you can look out for. These symptoms include:

• Disorientation
• Circling
• Blindness Blood in the urine
• Bleeding from the nose
• Heart murmurs
• Shrunken or swollen kidneys
• Dilated pupils
• Protein in the urine
• Hemorrhage of the eye
• Involuntary oscillation or rolling of the eyeballs
• Weakness on only one side of the body

WHAT CAUSES HYPERTENSION IN DOGS?

There is no one known cause of hypertension in dogs. In some instances, however, excessive breeding in dogs may influence hypertension. In this way, genetics could play a major role.

As stated, certain diseases or conditions may also have the symptom of high blood pressure. For example, hormonal fluctuation, renal (kidney) disease, and hyperthyroidism can all cause hypertension.

HOW IS HYPERTENSION TREATED?

If you have seen the symptoms of hypertension in your dog, you’ll need to get them treatment as soon as possible. First, you’ll need to find a vet who can give your dog a blood pressure test. You may also want to get your dog an eye pressure test.

If your dog has been found to have high blood pressure, your vet will look for an underlying condition or disease. If something is found to be the core cause, this will be what is treated first. On the other hand, it is possible that a core cause will not be found at all, and if this is the case, your vet will simply control the blood pressure.

To control high blood pressure in a dog, medicine is usually used. The medicine will either be a beta-blocker or a calcium channel blocker. Your vet may also recommend a new diet for your dog that primarily reduces your dog’s intake of sodium.

CONTACT COUNTRY CLUB ANIMAL CLINIC

If you are considering getting your dog’s blood pressure checked or if you would like to learn more about dog cardiovascular care, contact Country Club Animal Clinic today.

At Country Club Animal Clinic of El Paso, Texas, we offer numerous services to help keep your dog and other pets health and happy. These services include blood and eye-pressure tests, dentistry, EKGs, annual examinations, spaying and neutering, surgery, vaccinations, orthopedic surgery and soft tissue surgery, biopsies and tumor removal, digital x-rays, and more.

To make an appointment at our El Paso, Texas location, please give us a call at (915) 833-0645 today.