What is the Can a dog lower your blood pressure??

For starters, they help get us off the couch. If you have a dog, you probably walk it. It turns out that research shows that dog owners are more likely to get the recommended levels of physical activity.

Other data showed that people increased their walking between 22 minutes and 31 minutes a week after adopting a dog. That’s heart healthy all by itself.

And, according to other research, people who walk their dogs are less likely to be obese. Those extra pounds increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

Pets also help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol—big risk factors for heart problems. In a study of 240 married couples, those with a cat or dog had lower heart rate and blood pressure levels than those who didn’t have pets. In the same study, people with pets had smaller increases in heart rate and blood pressure during times of stress. These measures returned to normal faster after the stress stopped.

This probably happens because animals have a calming effect on us, which helps us handle stress better. Just petting your dog can lower your blood pressure, research shows.

Another study found that among 5741 people attending a screening clinic, men with pets had lower systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. High triglycerides also increase heart attack risk. Women in the study aged over 40 years who had pets also had lower systolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Lowering heart disease risk factors is a pretty amazing super power. But did you know that pets can actually decrease the risk of dying from a heart attack?

That’s what researchers from the University of Minnesota found when they started following 4500 men and women who were free of heart problems at the start of a 20-year study. It showed that people who had never owned cats were 40% more likely to die of a heart attack than those who had had cats at some time in their lives.

Recent research on human-dog interactions showed that talking to and petting a dog are accompanied by lower blood pressure (BP) in the person than human conversation.

Blood pressure refers to the pressure against the walls of arteries during the time the heart contracts and empties itself of blood as well as during the time the heart relaxes and fills with blood.

When the heart contracts, this is known as systole, and the systolic pressure is the maximum pressure against the walls of the arteries. When the heart relaxes, it is known as diastole, and diastolic pressure is the minimum pressure against the walls of the arteries.

Measuring blood pressure in your dog is very similar to having your own blood pressure measured. In general, your dog will be taken to a quiet room and gently laid on his side, giving him time to calm down. If your veterinarian is using a Doppler method of measurement, they will usually shave a small patch of fur on the underside of your dog’s metacarpal (wrist) or metatarsal (ankle) and a small probe will be taped in place. An appropriate-sized cuff will then be placed above this area and inflated, just like your own doctor would do. As the cuff is deflated, your veterinarian will listen for the pulsing sound of the blood to be heard, at which point the systolic blood pressure will be recorded (unfortunately, determining diastolic blood pressure in pets with this technique is very difficult and unreliable).

Generally, several measurements will be taken over a period of a few minutes, with the results being averaged out.

Systemic hypertension describes high blood pressure throughout the entire body. This means a sustained elevation in systolic pressure of 140mmHg or greater, in diastolic pressure of 90mmHg or greater, or both.

Like people, dogs can experience temporary elevations in blood pressure due to stress effects; for example, just being in a veterinary hospital. It is important to take several readings and to create as quiet an environment as possible. Hypertension in dogs is often due to an underlying disease and when this is the case, it is called secondary hypertension. If no underlying disease is present or can be identified, then it is called primary hypertension.

Hypertension is more common in older dogs, consistent with the development of underlying disease such as chronic kidney disease, or excessive levels of steroids produced by the adrenal glands in dogs with Cushing's syndrome. Younger dogs may develop hypertension if they have kidney disease due to infection (such as leptospirosis) or a developmental kidney abnormality.

The signs of hypertension include:

The cause of primary hypertension is unknown. Secondary hypertension accounts for a majority of hypertension in dogs, and can be attributed to kidney disease, adrenal gland disease, diabetes mellitus (less common), pheochromocytoma (adrenal gland tumor and very uncommon), or central nervous system disease (very rare).

The treatment of dogs with hypertension depends upon the underlying cause, if there is one. If the dog develops a serious complication related to hypertension like acute kidney failure or bleeding into the eye, there may be a need for hospitalization. In general, once any underlying condition is appropriately managed, medication and nutrition are important to normalizing blood pressure.

Medications that are commonly used to manage hypertension in dogs include angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs), beta blockers, diuretics, and calcium channel blockers. Additional medications may be required depending upon the response to initial therapy. Therapeutic nutrition is generally accepted as an important part of long-term management.

The treatment goal for a dog with hypertension is a systolic pressure of 140mmHg or less, and a diastolic pressure of 90mmHg or less. Periodic laboratory testing will be required to monitor for side effects of medication and progression of disease.

Potential complications of hypertension in the dog include:

The course of hypertension in dogs depends on the underlying cause. When blood pressure is well managed, the risks for potential complications are minimized. Medication for hypertension is generally a lifetime undertaking and may be adjusted over time as needed.