Blood Pressure Testing

Just like in humans, Hypertension, or “High Blood Pressure,” can be a Silent Killer to your pet. Accordingly, Wooster Animal Clinic incorporates blood pressure testing into your animal’s regular checkup.  High Blood Pressure can be primary, meaning it is the disease affecting your pet, or secondary, meaning there is an underlying medical issue causing your pet’s elevated blood pressure.  In the latter case, secondary high blood pressure may prompt us to check your pet for chronic renal failure, certain adrenal tumors, heart disease, or Cushing’s Disease.  Importantly, progression of these diseases can be altered if high blood pressure is caught and treated early.  Likewise, even more serious consequences, such as a stroke or an aneurism, can potentially be avoided.

Untreated High Blood Pressure can affect the heart, liver, kidneys, the nervous system, and the eyes. In fact, total blindness may occur as a result of prolonged high blood pressure, though it sometimes can be restored once blood pressure has been controlled.

Visible symptoms of high blood pressure in a dog or cat may include:

• Circling or disorientation
• Acute blindness
• Eye symptoms, such as dilated pupils or rolling of the eyeballs
• Leg weakness or visible weakness on one side
• Bloody urine or bleeding from the nose

Note that these symptoms may be related to other conditions and should be checked by your veterinarian.