Ceva is reminding vet professionals that it’s Feline Hypertension Awareness Month (FHAM), presenting a chance to help pet owners understand more about the impact of hypertension on their cats. Feline hypertension is an extremely common but highly underdiagnosed condition which, once identified through blood pressure monitoring, provides a real opportunity to improve health and welfare. This year FHAM is being supported by well-known influencers, and Ceva has created free social media resources that practices can use to spread the word. The posts and templates are now available to access through Ceva Territory Managers, or from the free veterinary social media platform, Vet Social.
Now that it is FHAM, and with World Hypertension Day on 17th May fast approaching, there is a clear opportunity to provide reliable information to help to highlight the importance of blood pressure monitoring in senior cats. Ceva will also be launching an educational video that helps people recognise that older cats, and those with concurrent diseases, may have high blood pressure but show little in the way of recognisable signs.
Suzanne Page, Veterinary Surgeon and Amodip® Product Manager at Ceva, explains that the campaign aims to make life easier for busy vet professionals, “This year, in recognition of how busy practices are, we wanted to give veterinary teams resources that provide a straightforward and simple way to raise feline hypertension awareness. Hypertension is so difficult for owners to notice, so we are working hard with influencers to spread the word. Social posts for practices to join in and raise awareness are easily accessible from vetsocial.net. There will also be leaflets to share and a new website for cat owners at www.catbloodpressure.com.”
Several veterinary and cat-owner influencers will be supporting Feline Hypertension Awareness Month, including Cat The Vet, Louisa The Vet and Alex And Bump.
Cat The Vet says she is proud to support the campaign, “High blood pressure really is a silent killer in our cats, especially as they get older. Often, there are few outward signs to indicate there is a problem. The disease can really impact on a cat’s health and behaviour, and diagnosing and treating the condition can give our golden oldies a new lease of life! I get my blood pressure monitor out for my patients regularly and I’m delighted to be letting cat owners know how important it is to get their feline friends checked!”
Because hypertension is so difficult to spot, the disease is often only diagnosed when cats start to show serious signs that vital organs, including the heart, kidney and eyes, are being damaged.
Cat comments, “The only way to diagnose this condition before signs progress is via blood pressure monitoring, which is why campaigns like this that aim to raise awareness of the condition are so important.”
This month also provides an opportunity to brush up on some CPD around hypertension. Ceva’s online Hypertension Ambassador course, led by Dr Sarah Caney; Feline Medicine Specialist and CEO of Vet Professionals, is freely available to vets and RVNs who are interested in refreshing their knowledge on feline hypertension. Those interested can access the course here.
The social media posts and other associated resources are free to download and ready to view at vetsocial.net. Ceva Territory Managers are also able to provide access to all elements of the campaign.
Amodip® 1.25 mg chewable tablets for cats contains Amlodipine 1.25 mg (Equivalent to 1.73 mg of amlodipine besilate). Legal category POM-V.
Further information is available from the datasheet, SPC or pack leaflet.
For any further information contact CEVA Animal Health Ltd, Unit 3, Anglo Office Park, White Lion Road, Amersham, Bucks, HP7 9FB, Telephone: 01494 781510
Use medicines responsibly www.noah.co.uk/responsible
Leave a Reply