Dogs Get High Blood Pressure Too!

Could your dog have blood pressure problems
High blood pressure is now recognised around the world as a major health issue. Many millions of people every day take regular medication to control their blood pressure level. Others use diet, exercise, salt restriction and more to try to get their blood pressure reading into the normal range.
But what about pets? Does your dog have high blood pressure?
Vets are becoming increasingly aware of the problem of hypertension in domestic pets – and dogs seem particularly affected by it. Some vets now make a blood pressure check part of their normal routine examination, although it can sometimes be hard to work out what’s normal or not in your own pet’s case.
Your vet will certainly check a blood pressure reading if your dog has a condition which could affect the heart or blood pressure levels. These conditions include things like: heart disease, kidney disease, sudden onset of blindness, recent trauma, or other severe illness.
Rare causes of high blood pressure (or sometimes low blood pressure) in dogs are endocrine system diseases, tumors of the adrenal gland, some pet medications and some brain or nerve troubles.
It’s often easiest to check a dog’s blood pressure when it is under anesthesia –perhaps for an operation or for another investigation.
We’ve not yet reached the point we have in humans but there’s no doubt that blood pressure assessment is becoming more and more important in pet animals. Treatments are available and research trials are underway to see if treatment improves the health of your pet.
Time for a walk, maybe?
Garleton Hill is a family doctor in Scotland and a specialist in blood pressure treatment. He suffers from high blood pressure himself so has a true insiders view of the topic. Get more information regarding [http://medical-guides.info/wellness-resources/blood-pressure-and-athletes.html]blood pressure.