Therapeutic Management of Systemic Hypertension in Dogs: A Comparative Clinico-biochemical Evaluation of Antihypertensive Drugs

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to diagnose systemic hypertension and evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of different antihypertensive drugs in the management of systemic hypertension in dogs presented to the Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. A total of 2548 dogs of either sex, irrespective of breed and age, were screened over a six-month period from July to December 2025. Among these, 251 clinically suspected dogs were evaluated for hypertension using Doppler Vet BP device and 65 dogs were confirmed hypertensive, recording an overall prevalence of 25.89 per cent (65/251). Comprehensive evaluation was performed in all cases, including detailed clinical examination and recording of haematological, biochemical and lipid profile parameters for baseline assessment and therapeutic monitoring. For comparative therapeutic efficacy, 12 confirmed hypertensive dogs were allocated into two groups (n= 6 each) and treated with ramipril in combination with amlodipine (Group 1) or telmisartan in combination with amlodipine (Group 2) and 6 dogs without systemic hypertension were kept as an apparently healthy control group (Group 3) for 28 days. Both treatment protocols resulted in a progressive and statistically significant reduction in systolic arterial pressure (SAP) observed by day 3 in group 2 and by day 7 in group 1. Haemato-biochemical, lipid and electrolyte profiles improved towards physiological limits by day 28 in both groups. The study concludes that in this 28-day evaluation, the telmisartan–amlodipine combination achieved earlier and more sustained reductions in systolic arterial pressure than ramipril–amlodipine; longer-term, larger controlled studies are warranted to confirm durability and safety.