Blood Pressure Monitoring

Measuring accurate blood pressure on animals is not trivial, the process is much more difficult than in humans, requiring more experience and attention to every detail: limb selection, proper cuff size, snug fit of the cuff, the position of animal, so that no weight or pressure is on the measurement. Experience and patience are necessary during pet BP measurement session.

Experts in the field of animal BP measurement stress the importance of skill, experience and patience during blood pressure determination process. The most important element observed is the rapport of the person taking the blood pressure measure with the animal.
The measurement process is an art, a skill, and a science all in one and be done well.

Research has shown that if an animal is upset or agitated due to handling or due to the measurement procedure itself, it will take 8-10 minutes, after the animal is calmed and reassured, for the animal's blood pressure to return to normal. Measurements on an agitated animal are not an indication of their normal blood pressure and are usually worthless clinically when diagnosing a hypertensive animal.