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 PDSA have told in2town Lifestyle Magazine that High Blood pressure in pets can be life threatening and they want Pet Owners to understand more about High Blood Pressure and why early detection of High Blood Pressure in your pets is vital
There are a large number of health problems
that affect our four-legged pets as they grow older which include; arthritis,
heart disease and senile dementia are just a few of the health problems.
Most of these serious conditions have obvious symptoms, which can alert owners
to a problem, but hypertension (high blood pressure) can go undetected for a long
time warns the PDSA.
The PDSA
say Hypertension (high
blood pressure) can affect both cats and dogs. Some pets show no symptoms
at all, apart from perhaps appearing depressed and withdrawn, which makes it
difficult to diagnose. In many pets, owners don’t realize th ere is
anything wrong until the problem affects a pet’s vital organs.
Worryingly for pet owners the effects of hypertension can be life threatening, which is why early
detection is vital. Senior PDSA Veterinary Surgeon, Sean Wensley, says,
“If owners notice any changes in their pet’s routine or behavior, they should
contact their vet for advice. Pets should have regular check-ups to keep
them fit and healthy throughout their lives, but these should become more
frequent as pets grow older so any health conditions can be detected, and
treated, as early as possible.”
In serious cases, hypertension can lead to
the following problems:
Impaired vision/ blindness - raised blood pressure can damage the
retina, causing bleeding into the eye which may lead to blindness.
Brain/Nervous system - high pressure in the brain can cause
spontaneous bleeding which may lead to weakness, collapse and fits.
Heart - over time hypertension can cause thickening of the
wall of the heart, leading to cardiac problems.
Kidneys - hypertension increases the risk of kidney
failure.
If detected early enough, hypertension can be controlled using medication, and its most serious side-affects can be avoided or delayed
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