Dogs evaluated in a home environment show decreased arterial blood pressure and stress levels.

BACKGROUND: Stress may influence blood pressure (BP), making home-based measurements potentially more reliable. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Compare BP, stress, and clinical laboratory results obtained from dogs in 2 environments. ANIMALS: Forty client-owned healthy dogs. METHODS: A crossover observational study evaluated 40 healthy dogs after acclimatization in hospital and home settings. The BP was measured using Doppler and oscillometry, and clinical laboratory and stress-related variables were recorded. Blood and urine samples, including for cortisol determination, were collected. One urine sample was collected by the owner without veterinary intervention (referred to as PAZ urine). Statistical hypothesis testing compared measurements between settings, and multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the associations between physiological, biochemical, and stress-related variables on urinary cortisol concentrations. RESULTS: The dogs were adults, with most being female and mixed-breed. Stress scores and Doppler BP results were higher in the hospital environment (P < .001). Hospital BP results exceeded home measurements by 46 mmHg in normotensive and 48 mmHg in prehypertensive, hypertensive, and severely hypertensive groups. Most of the laboratory variables assessed, including serum and urinary cortisol concentrations, also were increased in the hospital setting (P < .001). Regression analysis indicated that urinary cortisol concentration was negatively associated with systolic BP and the urine protein-to-creatinine ratio, and positively associated with proteinuria, urine creatinine concentration, and urine cortisol-to-creatinine ratio (P < .001). Dogs evaluated in the hospital excreted an additional 135.61 units of cortisol (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The hospital setting can influence BP, clinical laboratory results, and stress-related variables.