Blood Pressure 170.. question

[Sara and Buttercup]

my civvies with kidney insufficiency (creatanine about 2.9, bun normal) had blood pressure of 170 on the day of her dental. vet said it didn'tneed to be rechecked because he thought it was due to stress. i feel differently. i think it should be rechecked. what is the harm in it. she's on clavamox for a few more days as a preventative thing. can clavamox raise blood pressure? my understanding is that it should be below 140 or so. they didn't say systolic or diastolic but i assume it's the upper reading. any thoughts or suggestions. she doesn't seem to be feeling that well either 2 days after the dental. i am really worried about her. i hate my vets and the clinic i go to. also, i am out of kd tonight and won't be able to get any until tomorrow night. thanks.

 

[Jean and Charcoal]

Hi Sara,

First, I would ask you if you could be a little more detailed in describing what the dental involved with your civvie? Was there extensive work done? Has she had dentals done before and reacted better?

From what I read about Clavamox, I did not see where it would cause high blood pressure, but perhaps if she is allergic to the med, it could cause her to be anxious which might drive up her bp. Plus if she has kidney problems already, then hbp can be attributed to that, from the information I have searched.

Are you feeding her soft food only? You mentioned the K/D, but I was not sure if you meant canned? Can she use the A/D canned food? What are you feeding since running out of the K/D?

If she had alot of dental work done, she would probably still not feel back to normal in a few days.

There is another pet site, called "Petvet Cafe" on Yahoo groups, that you might want to join. There are actual vets on there that will answer questions, maybe not immediately, but usually within a day or so after you post a question.

I am not a vet nor vet tech, so I am just throwing some suggestions your way, and I wondered also, did the vet give pain medication to you for your kitty? You are not using Metacam, are you for pain? Plus, how old is she?

Hope she is feeling better, and that you can find another vet that you can relate to more easily.

Take care,
Jean and Charcoal (GA)

 

[Jess & Earl]

Hi Sara

That is a systolic reading. The systolic blood pressure goes up in cats that are stressed out, so 170mmHg isn't unusual. Hypertensive cats often read >200mmHg, so a 170, while high, is still in the "could be from stress zone". It's not from the Clavamox. I think it's a good idea for older cats and cats with a history of renal disease to have their BP checked regularly, so certainly it should be rechecked at some point. If you are very concerned now, you could ask to make an appointment just with a technician for the BP: ask if they can make you an appt where you go straight into the room (no crowded lobby) and have just the BP done with minimal stress. Some vet offices can accomodate you for this.

 

[Maria & Suzie]

Did the vet listen to her heart? I suppose that is beating very fast, stress at the vet and all that... Don't know how old your cat, and if she's in generally good shape, not too skinny, etc.... because older cats can have an over-active thyroid, which links to high blood pressure, but that's probably a bit far-fetched.

Frankly, in your case, I think it was "stress at the vet" and while 170 sounds high for a human, it's not that dramatic for a cat. Clavamox doesn't cause high blood pressure. Unless the cat seems breathless, I think things will settle once the pain from the dental work (which she may well have) goes away. Observe her for a bit (and think of your own blood pressure too ! ;-) )