Dog High Blood Pressure

There are many different illnesses and conditions that your dog could get over the years and the most important thing for you to do as an owner is to understand and deal with the condition. High blood pressure in dogs is very common although many owners do not even realize their dog has it. It is usually only when it has lead to something else that the condition becomes apparent. High blood pressure can cause bleeding within your dog as the blood vessels become too small to cope and burst. Many little bleeds are common and can be fatal to your dog and you will need to ensure that you have regular checkups at the vets to ensure you are aware of all conditions.

What does high blood pressure do?

Problems will often occur with high blood pressure when the blood vessels simply cannot cope anymore. The blood vessels become too small to cope with the high pressure that is being pushed through them and eventually burst. Although the blood vessels are small and the bleeds are often not noticed over time they can cause major problems and even cause the death of your beloved dog. Dog Blindness is one of the most common problems when the vessels burst as is the kidney area as the kidney relies on these blood vessels to carry away toxins from the body. Without them the body cannot function correctly.

What are causes of high blood pressure?

There are several causes for high blood pressure in your dog and often it is due to another illness or condition. Dog Renal Failure, Dog Diabetes, Dog Cushings Disease and Dog Hyperthyroidism are all linked to high blood pressure. If your dog is ill and being examined at the vets for a serious illness then it is very likely that they will have high blood pressure as well. Although a majority of the time it is often only checked when your dog is already suffering from another illness there are things which your vet can do to help with the blood pressure.

Identifying and treating the blood pressure

Finding out how high the blood pressure is can be done in a similar way to humans a cuff is placed around your dogs foot and sometimes even the base of the tail is used. The cuff is then inflated and an ultrasonic probe is placed on your dog’s artery so the vet can listen for when the vessel is opened. Your vet will appreciate that your dog will be stressed and more nervous than usual but they can still tell if the blood pressure is higher than normal. Often the best way to treat the blood pressure is to treat the other conditions. Once these are under control then you will find that the blood pressure begins to fall on its own. There are some medications which can be given to your dog to help with the high blood pressure but often these are a last resort.