Discover the Top 7 Animals With the Highest Blood Pressure

exercise which is a sign of excellent fitness.
Horses are large powerful animals. Although horses vary in size the average horse weighs 800 to 1200 pounds and stands five feet tall. The horses heart must work hard to pump blood to its head. The horse heart counteracts the negative effects of high blood pressure by having a very low resting heart rate. A horses heart rate can drop to 30 beats per minute at rest but rise to 250 beats per minute while galloping. Horses are extremely athletic animals with efficient hearts. Their heart rate lowers quickly after exercise which is a sign of excellent fitness. 
Often horses will only get their blood pressure measured during surgery. However research has been done recording blood pressure on standing and awake horses. The study showed the average horses systolic blood pressure to be 169 mm Hg.
Cows
Cows have large hearts about the size of a human head.
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Although the average blood pressure of a cow is not commonly recorded research has been done showing that awake and alert cows have a systolic blood pressure of 157 mm Hg. This is a little higher than a humans average blood pressure of 120 mm Hg. 
On average cows weigh about 700 to 1760 pounds and cows have large hearts to pump blood throughout their massive bodies. While a human heart is about the size of our fist a cows heart is the size of a human head. Tissue from cows hearts is sometimes used to create a replacement valve for a person with heart damage. 
Greyhounds and Other Sighthounds
Greyhounds have a higher blood pressure than other dog breeds.
In dogs a systolic blood pressure of above 160 mm Hg is considered prehypertension. However for greyhounds and other sighthounds such as deerhounds a higher systolic blood pressure is normal for them. A dogs blood pressure is measured in a similar way that humans get their blood pressure taken at the doctors office. An inflatable cuff is placed tightly around the dogs foreleg foot or tail. Interestingly greyhounds not only have higher blood pressure than other breeds but their heart is larger. Their large heart efficiently pumps their blood for greater circulation while carrying more oxygen to their muscles allowing them to run fast. 
Another interesting fact greyhounds may suffer from white coat syndrome in the same way that people can. This happens when the anxiety
of being at the doctors office or at the vet for the greyhound causes blood pressure to rise. However when taken at home blood pressure readings in the same person or dog are typically lower. A way to get an accurate reading is to wait for the dog to calm down and retake their blood pressure toward the end of the vet visit.
Summary of the Top 7 Animals With the Highest Blood Pressure
RankAnimalMaximum Systolic Blood Pressure1Giraffes300 mm Hg2Bears253 mm Hg3Birds232 mm Hg4Elephants180 mm Hg5Horses169 mm Hg6Cows157 mm Hg7Greyhounds and other sighthounds152 mm Hg