High blood pressure in dogs with kidney failure

Abstract

In order to determine whether hypertension would develop in dogs with chronic renal failure, we performed 7/8 renal ablation in 6 healthy dogs and compared pre- and post-ablation blood pressures determined by telemetry. One month after the renal ablation, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were significantly increased (p<0.05), creatinine clearance was decreased (p<0.05), and blood pressure was increased significantly (p<0.05). Simultaneously, plasma renin activity, angiotensin I and II, and aldosterone were elevated significantly (p<0.05) compared with the values obtained from 11 healthy dogs with intact renal function. The dogs with induced renal failure and hypertension were administered an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, benazepril hydrochloride, once daily for 2 weeks at 2 mg/kg body weight, and changes in blood pressure and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system were determined. During the administration of benazepril hydrochloride, blood pressure, angiotensin II and aldosterone decreased significantly (p<0.05) and, upon discontinuation of administration, increased to the pre-administration levels (p<0.05). Plasma renin activity and angiotensin I showed no significant changes throughout the administration study. These results provide experimental evidence that hypertension develops in dogs with chronic renal failure through mechanisms involving the RAA system and demonstrate that benazepril hydrochloride improves renal hypertension in dogs.