If you are having a very difficult time obtaining a blood pressure, you should try one of the two “secret” spots. The first “secret” spot is on the top of the back feet (on top of the metatarsals near the hock area). You should be able to feel the dorsal pedal artery pulsing. It lies between the long bones medially on the top of the back feet.
The other “secret” spot is the underside of a tail. The cuff should be placed at the base of the tail and a spot next to it on the underside of a tail should be shaved. In between the vertebrae under the tail usually lies an easy to find artery.
If you are really having a difficult time obtaining a blood pressure you should first check to see if you can feel the patient’s pulse (usually feeling the femoral artery). If you can’t, then likely you won’t be able to obtain a Doppler blood pressure reading and medical correction of a low blood pressure should occur.