Pulmonary hypertension (PH), defined by increased pressure within the pulmonary vasculature, is a hemodynamic and pathophysiologic state present in a wide variety of cardiovascular, respiratory, and systemic diseases. The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide a multidisciplinary approach to guidelines for the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and monitoring of PH in dogs. Comprehensive evaluation including consideration of signalment, clinical signs, echocardiographic parameters, and results of other diagnostic tests supports the diagnosis of PH and allows identification of associated underlying conditions. Dogs with PH can be classified into the following 6 groups: group 1, pulmonary arterial hypertension; group 2, left heart disease; group 3, respiratory disease/hypoxia; group 4, pulmonary emboli/pulmonary thrombi/pulmonary thromboemboli; group 5, parasitic disease (Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus); and group 6, disorders that are multifactorial or with unclear mechanisms. The approach to treatment of PH focuses on strategies to decrease the risk of progression, complications, or both, recommendations to target underlying diseases or factors contributing to PH, and PH‐specific treatments. Dogs with PH should be monitored for improvement, static condition, or progression, and any identified underlying disorder should be addressed and monitored simultaneously.

Practical relevance: Feline hypertension is a common disease in older cats that is frequently diagnosed in association with other diseases such as chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism (so-called secondary hypertension), although some cases of apparent primary hypertension are also reported. The clinical consequences of hypertension can be severe, related to ‘target organ damage’ (eye, heart and vasculature, brain and kidneys), and early diagnosis followed by appropriate therapeutic management should help reduce the morbidity associated with this condition. Clinical challenges: Despite being a common disease, routine blood pressure (BP) monitoring is generally performed infrequently, probably leading to underdiagnosis of feline hypertension in clinical practice. There is a need to: (i) ensure BP is measured as accurately as possible with a reproducible technique; (ii) identify and monitor patients at risk of developing hypertension; (iii) establish appropriate criteria for therapeutic intervention; and (iv) establish appropriate therapeutic targets. Based on current data, amlodipine besylate is the treatment of choice to manage feline hypertension and is effective in the majority of cats, but the dose needed to successfully manage hypertension varies between individuals. Some cats require long-term adjuvant therapy and, occasionally, additional therapy is necessary for emergency management of hypertensive crises. Evidence base: These Guidelines from the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) are based on a comprehensive review of the currently available literature, and are aimed at providing practical recommendations to address the challenges of feline hypertension for veterinarians. There are many areas where more data is required which, in the future, will serve to confirm or modify some of the recommendations in these Guidelines.

Objective—To identify Doppler echocardiographic (DE) variables that correlate with left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP). Animals—7 healthy dogs (1 to 3 years old). Procedures—Dogs were anesthetized and instrumented to measure left atrial pressure (LAP), left ventricular pressures, and cardiac output. Nine DE variables of LVFP derived from diastolic time intervals, transmitral and pulmonary venous flow, and tissue Doppler images were measured over a range of hemodynamic states induced by volume loading and right atrial pacing. Associations between simultaneous invasive measures of LVFP and DE measures of LVFP were determined by use of regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to predict increases in mean LAP on the basis of DE variables. Results—Mean LAP was correlated with several DE variables: the ratio between peak velocity during early diastolic transmitral flow and left ventricular isovolumic relaxation time (peak E:IVRT) during sinus rhythm and during right atrial pacing, IVRT, the ratio between late diastolic transmitral flow velocity and pulmonary venous flow duration, and the interval between onset of early diastolic mitral annulus motion and onset of early diastolic transmitral flow. Cutoff values of 2.20 and 2.17, for peak E:IVRT in dogs with sinus rhythm and atrial pacing predicted increases in mean LAP (≥ 15 mm Hg) with sensitivities of 90% and 100% and specificities of 92% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Doppler echocardiography can be used to predict an increase in LVFP in healthy anesthetized dogs subjected to volume loading.