Most of us are anxious at a doctor’s office. Our animal friends often feel the same about vet visits. Often their stress is obvious, but some animals mask it by being extra friendly and charming. Whether obvious or not, anxiety affects blood pressure.
A new client from California called saying she had not been aware of health issues for her 7-year old cat until a vet diagnosed high blood pressure at an annual check up. She went on to say that her cat was put on a drug and now months later, tests show kidney disease. I questioned if the cat’s high pressure number was due to anxiety of the vet visit and if the drug was now affecting the kidneys.
I asked the advice of another client who is a medical doctor. She cared enough to take time to email:
SIDE EFFECTS may include depression, decreased kidney function, increased heart rate and weight loss.
With this information, the cat was checked by another vet who did not believe the cat had a condition of high blood pressure.Plus it was discovered that the prescribed drug amount was two times higher than it should be. This drug can decrease kidney function plus given in excess, it makes sense why tests show kidney concerns.
If your animal is diagnosed with high blood pressure, consider:
May be due to stress (human’s blood pressure is often higher at doctor’s office). The drug may cause other health issues.
I know you want to do everything you can for your animal friends, but often “less is more”. Many of my cases are with animals suffering from severe conditions. I believe working with diet for each animal is the way to start as often food alone can be their best “medicine”.
Be well, Bonnie