Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) - a procedure in which a patient wears an automatic blood pressure device for 24 hours as readings are taken every 30-60 minutes - is a widely used hypertension diagnostic tool in many countries, but not the US.

Traditionally, blood pressure (BP) measurement is largely confined to the doctor's office, using manual measurements to provide a snapshot of a patient's blood pressure and cardiovascular risk.

Gone are the days where your cardiovascular health could be summed up in two numbers. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, measured at the brachial artery, were the key tools for staving off heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease (CVD). Have a BP of under 140/90? Great! You are going to live a long and healthy life. Over 140/90? Time to watch your salt and medicate away. While lowering BP in hypertensive patients has been proven to be an effective intervention, it may not be so simple any more. Research, such as the SPRINT study, are finding benefits for managing BP in pre-hypertensive patients. With that, a new series of indices and measurements are offering more tools for doctors to measure and treat hypertension.

In honor of International Cat Day, we’ve put together a list of the easiest things any cat owner can do to make sure their cat is as healthy and happy as possible.

As beloved pets age, it can be difficult to know how their health care needs to change so we will be discussing 3 ways to better care for senior animals. After all, your cat or dog can’t tell you what he or she is feeling. To stay on top their health into old age, it is important to adjust their veterinary care as needed, including going to the vet more often. Here are a few tips for ensuring that your furry friend receives top notch senior health care.

This past week my colleague, Jacinta McGlone, and I visited the Wake County SPCA located in Raleigh, NC. While there, we spoke with Staff Veterinarian Dr. Anna Boswell and Medical Assistant Allison Baker at the shelter. These ladies provided us valuable information on their ongoing battle to save countless animals' lives.