High blood pressure in dogs can only be diagnosed by a vet. If your dog has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you can choose to put him on prescription medication or try a holistic treatment. You can select foods that help your dog lower his blood pressure, and you can make sure that he has an active life style which will naturally lower his blood pressure.
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Evaluation
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Dogs with high blood pressure must be evaluated for other conditions. Often high blood pressure in dogs is not the problem but a symptom of the real problem. Take your dog to the vet for a full physical and full lab work up. If there are underlying sources that are causing the high blood pressure, it is best to get that treated first. If the cause of the high blood pressure is a sickness or illness, there will be no need for further treatment after the underlying cause has been treated.
Exercise
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If no other cause is found for your dog's high blood pressure, or if your vet recommends treating your dog for it, discuss holistic options for your dog's care. An increase in exercise is the number one holistic option for treatment because the greatest cause of high blood pressure in dogs is excess fat. Begin walking your dog slowly twice a day. Do not let her get too wild and don't allow her to run. Walk her at a moderate pace to help her lose weight to control her blood pressure.
Diet
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Switch your dog to a low blood pressure holistic food. Choose a food that is labeled both "holistic" and "for weight control." Weight-controlling food also includes ingredients that naturally lower high blood pressure. Spending a little bit more money for food can end up being worth it if it means your dog can have lower blood pressure without spending a lot of money on medications. Often, high blood pressure control food is also much healthier for a dog overall. If you cannot find a food that is specifically listed for weight control or lower blood pressure, look for foods that have vegetables and rice as the number one ingredients, as the lower the percentage of red meat and the higher the percentage of vegetable the greater the chance that it will lower blood pressure.
Stress
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Stress causes high blood pressure in humans or makes it worse. In dogs, high blood pressure is usually not caused by stress. However, if your dog lives in a stressful environment, it won't help his high blood pressure and could cause other health problems that might make him sicker. If you have a dog with high blood pressure, try to keep him in a low-stress environment by staying quiet around him, not allowing him to get overly excited and keeping things away from him that might stress him out, like children, loud noises and changes in temperatures.
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