AAFP releases feline hypertension toolkit

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The American Association of Feline Practitioners has announced the publication of a digital Hypertension Educational Toolkit to help veterinary professionals diagnose and treat systemic arterial hypertension in cats. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, the toolkit emphasizes the importance of checking blood pressure routinely to aid in tracking trends and detecting hypertension in cats early.

“Assessing blood pressure in the feline species is an important part of feline preventive care, yet it is uncommon for practices to routinely perform this test,” says Kelly St. Denis, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Feline), chair of the task force that created the guidelines, in an association press release. “This toolkit provides a quick, go-to reference that will help veterinary professionals overcome the difficulties and obstacles associated with assessing blood pressure in cats.”

When cats have high blood pressure, a lack of accompanying clinical signs often makes diagnosis difficult. While the toolkit encourages using the information provided on all feline patients, cats aged 10 years and older are at higher risk for hypertension and should be monitored more frequently than younger cats.

The toolkit provides tips for successful blood pressure management, including cuff selection and placement, recommendations for taking blood pressure measurements, and the equipment and environment. Each page also has an associated printable PDF that you can use in your practice. A new Blood Pressure Assessment Form is available to download for recording results and other necessary information. Tabbed sections on clinical signs of hypertension, treatment, classifications, frequently asked questions, client resources, and more make the toolkit easy to navigate.

“With its user-friendly format, veterinary professionals can quickly learn how to perform a Cat-Friendly blood pressure assessment, how to interpret the numbers, and how to treat hypertensive cats,” says St. Denis.

You can download the toolkit here.