Cat's high blood pressure meds not working. Should I double the dose?

Do not stop the blood pressure medication without first talking to the vet who is treating Tinker. It sounds like it may be helpful to run some lab work on her to see how well controlled her hyperthyroidism is, and see if that medication needs adjusted. If an adjustment in her dose of hyperthyroidism med is needed, then it MAY be ok to stop the blood pressure mediation once she's on a different dose, BUT DO NOT DO THIS without first talking to the vet who is managing her case. The other concern and possibility here is that there may be a separate issue going on such as cancer. The older they get the more likely we are to see multiple problems arise. Good luck with her! Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

So sorry she is having these problems. It sounds like she should be re-examined by a veterinarian since her signs are not well managed. Your vet may need to add in a blood pressure medication and/or an anti-seizure medication, as well as adjust her thyroid medication. If your vet is not able to manage her disease than your could go to a different vet for a second opinion or even take her to a specialist for an evaluation. Please call your vet an give him/her an update.

I'm sorry to hear that! I would suggest calling your vet to let them know that the medication doesn't seem to be helping - they may prescribe something different for her, or recommend bringing her back in for further testing. You could also opt to take her to your nearest emergency clinic tonight if you feel that she's excessively painful, so that she can be given heavy-duty injectable pain medication if needed. If you opt not to go to the emergency clinic, I'm afraid all you can do until you're able to talk with her vet is to keep her as calm and quiet as possible at home - there are no human over-the-counter pain medications that are safe to use in cats, so there is nothing else you can give her without a prescription.

Was this increase something that your Vet suggested? If not I would absolutely drop the dose back down to what was prescribed. Giving too much can be dangerous. Always consult your vet before changing any medication doses. If your cat gets worse you should go to an emergency vet right away.

Yes, please have her reevaluated. The blindness likely is caused by high blood pressure and the high blood pressure is likely caused by the kidney disease. Your cat will need to be evaluated and then put on blood pressure medication. Subcutaneous fluid giving should not stress her, if it is done right. You may want to have your vet show you again, how it is done. Please take Kitkat for a recheck today.

I'm sorry you lost your other cat and that Bird is now showing symptoms of another disease. The most common diseases in older cats are renal failure, hyperthyrodism and diabetes. It is really not a wise decision to give Bird any of the other cats medications. Just because you think she looks like she has symptoms of hyperthyroidism doesn't mean she actually has it. As a vet, I have been fooled many times. You could certainly kill her by doing this or make things worse. Even if she is hyperthyroid she may not need the same dose that the other cat was on. If she is that stressed getting to the vet I would ask your vet if they would be willing to make a house call to draw blood as that is the way to diagnose this issue. The other option is to find a mobile vet in your area that could come to your house. I hope this helps. If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask!

The clavaseptin will be fine as it does has a wide dose range. However, the prazosin is not an antibiotic it is a medication used in high blood pressure etc. I assume your cat has some sort if urinary issue or high blood pressure if it is on this medication? Thankfully the dose range for prazosin is 0.25mg to 1mg per cat every 8 to 12 hours so even though you gave a double dose 2 half tablets is still within range. I would go ahead and give your tablets this evening as long as the cat has seemed okay today. Try and stick to the schedule as best you can. If you are worried that your cat is sleepy/dizzy I would take him to the vet as soon as you can.