Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Amodip, will be running Feline Hypertension Month for the second consecutive year in May to raise awareness of hypertension and improve the detection and management of high blood pressure in cats.
As part of the campaign, veterinary surgeons are being urged to measure their feline patients’ blood pressure from seven years of age and above, as recommended by ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) 1.
The company will continue its Mercury Challenge throughout 2019 in a bid to increase veterinary professionals’ confidence in measuring blood pressure and identifying feline hypertension. Since June last year, 128 practices and over 1,000 cats have participated in the popular challenge. It is quick and easy to take part and veterinary professionals can register via the Mercury Challenge website - mercurychallenge.ceva.com. Participating practices will be given the opportunity to win diagnostic tools to help them diagnose feline hypertension.
Dr Rosanne Jepson, American, European and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College, comments: “It is great to see that so many cats (over 1000!) and practices in the UK have been involved with the Mercury Challenge promoting the measurement of blood pressure and detection of hypertension. I would urge as many practices as possible to measure blood pressure; it’s simple, quick and easy to perform and means that we can help prevent target organ damage which at its most severe can leave cats sadly blind for the rest of their life. With careful identification and treatment this can so easily be prevented.”
Known as the ‘silent killer’ because there are no early warning signs, feline hypertension is common with an estimated incidence risk of 1 in 5 cats from 9 years old². High blood pressure can cause target organ damage to vulnerable organs including the eyes, kidneys, heart and brain. A simple blood pressure assessment can help identify feline hypertension and, with treatment, the risk of target organ damage is reduced.
To help raise awareness of Feline Hypertension Month, Ceva has produced a range of marketing material including waiting room displays, a pet owner leaflet and veterinary marketing packs, which are available upon request. The initiative will be supported with an extensive PR campaign aimed at pet owners, including a radio day starring CBBC’s Rory the Vet (pictured right).
For information on Feline Hypertension Month, the Mercury Challenge or feline hypertension, please contact cevauk@ceva.com or visit mercurychallenge.ceva.com
References
- Taylor et al., ISFM consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of hypertension, JFMS 2017 19(3): 288-303.
- Conroy et al., Survival after diagnosis of hypertension in cats attending primary care practice in the UK, JVIM, 2018 32(6): 1846-1855.
