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In the News

The American Heartworm Society is the leading resource on heartworm disease, and our mission is to lead the veterinary profession and the public in the understanding of this serious disease. Every year, hundreds of stories are written on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heartworm, as well as on the plight of affected pets. These stories are an important way of reaching both veterinary professionals and pet owners with information they need to know about heartworm disease.

The American Heartworm Society is led by a board of directors comprised of veterinarians and specialists in the fields of veterinary parasitology and internalmedicine. As leaders in the fight against heartworm disease, they are available as resources and authors of related stories.

Members of the media are encouraged to contact the American Heartworm Society for information, visuals and interviews about heartworm disease. Please contact Sue O’Brien at Obriensuek@gmail.com. This email is for media inquiries only. All other inquiries, please email: info@heartwormsociety.org.

 


 

News & Alerts

Black shepherd with tongue out - Image by Tereza Houdová from Pixabay

Dog owners urged to take precautions as heartworm cases rise on Island

Parasite can be spread by mosquitoes biting infected pets, then other animals

Dog owners on Prince Edward Island are being encouraged to take precautions to protect their animals from heartworm, as the number of cases takes a big jump. 

"We test about 150 dogs per year for canine heartworm, and in the last about five years we've seen that about 50 per cent of the samples that we get are positive for heartworm," said Dr. Nina Germitsch, a veterinary parasitologist based at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. 

Heartworm Remains Serious Threat to U.S. Pets

American Heartworm Society survey reveals new incidence trends

From Baton Rouge to Boston to San Antonio and Seattle, heartworms pose a serious health threat to the nation’s four-legged family members. According to a recent survey conducted by the American Heartworm Society (AHS), every U.S. state has pets with heartworms. But while states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have consistently had high heartworm rates, veterinarians participating in the survey reported that infections are also on the rise in unexpected locales like Washington, North Dakota, and Massachusetts.

New American Heartworm Society Heartworm Incidence Map Reveals Upward Trend in Heartworm Cases

Influx of heartworm-positive dogs and lack of prevention compliance cited as leading factors

APEX, NC – A first glance at the 2022 Heartworm Incidence Map from the American Heartworm Society (AHS) might suggest that heartworm rates have stayed steady over the past three years.Dig a little deeper, however, and it’s clear that rates have continued to trend upward in both heartworm “hot spots” and in locales where heartworm cases were once rare.

Woman hugging a multicolored puppy

An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure

The bad news: Heartworm disease can be fatal to dogs, cats, and ferrets. 
The good news: You can protect your pet from this disease.

Heartworms can infect your pet year-round and preventing them is much easier, and healthier, for your pet than getting heartworms in the first place or treating heartworm disease afterward. Year-round prevention is key to keeping your pet heartworm free.

New Approaches and Protocols for Heartworm Disease Presented  at 17th Triennial Heartworm Symposium

New Approaches and Protocols for Heartworm Disease Presented at 17th Triennial Heartworm Symposium

American Heartworm Society also announces new officers, board members

 NEW ORLEANS — From exploring novel ways to prevent heartworm disease to finding strategies to facilitate earlier heartworm diagnosis to discussing the challenge of treating heartworm-positive pets in animal shelter and community health settings, the American Heartworm Society (AHS) 17th Triennial Heartworm Symposium covered a gamut of heartworm research and clinical topics. Meanwhile, the AHS membership elected a new slate of board members and the organization’s first female—and youngest—president.

American Heartworm Society Announces Program Details for 17th Triennial Heartworm Symposium

Early registration for September 8-11 th conference in New Orleans ends July 15th

Preventing Heartworm Disease in Dogs

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month! To make sure all dogs are protected from this serious disease, Dr. Simoneau has provided some valuable information for you and your pets.

The Invisible Threat to Your Pet: How to Prevent Heartworm Disease

EDWARDSVILLE – As social distancing restrictions continue to lift and the weather finally starts to warm up, we’ll be spending more time outdoors and in public with our furry friends. But every time you visit the dog park with your pooch, bring them to the local farmer’s market, or even play catch in the backyard, you could be putting your pet’s health at risk if they’re not fully protected against heartworm disease.

Paola Domínguez-López on the importance of embracing change

Paola Domínguez-López has always been passionate about animals. Her big dream as a child was to be able to care for animals in need, especially those who don’t have a home to call their own. 

Her parents helped foster her love of animals through agriculture programs like 4-H. As time went on, Paola realized that veterinary medicine was the right choice for her, eventually enrolling in the Veterinary Nursing Program in St. Petersburg College. 

While studying to become a veterinary nurse, she also began volunteering for animal shelters. This eventually lead to a job at a local animal hospital, where she eventually became a vet tech.

She now combines her nursing skills and her passion for shelter animals by working her dream job at University of Florida Small Animal Hospital. She currently works in the Veterinary Community Outreach Program of the shelter medicine department. This allows her to help shelter animals in need while doing the job she loves.

Vector-borne diseases likely a higher risk this year

The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends pets be tested annually and protected year-round

Heartworm, Lyme, and other vector-borne diseases are expected to pose higher-than-average risk this year, the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) reports.

The group has released its 2022 Pet Parasite Forecast and corresponding 30-day Pet Parasite Forecast maps, alerting veterinarians and pet owners of impending outbreaks across the U.S.

 

Join AHS

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Membership Details

The days are getting shorter, the nights are cooler, leaves are starting to turn, and football season is here. But that doesn’t mean your clients can forget about protecting their pets from heartworms.

To keep this message front and center with your clients, we’re sharing a set of new posters you can print OR post on your Facebook or Instagram page.

  • To save or print a poster, just click on the image below, then click on the “download” button and save the PDF file.
  • To save a poster for use on your social pages, simply open the downloaded poster, then right click on the file and follow the menu instructions to save the file as a JPEG image.

For more client tools, be sure to visit the Resource Center. And if you don’t already, make sure you’re sharing our Facebook and Instagram posts!