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Looking for information or educational tools on heartworm management? Our NEW Heartworm Resource Center makes it easy to get the answers or assets you’re looking for. You may search/filter by one or more of the fields below.



Is the term "heartworm season" a misnomer?

American Heartworm Society Past President Dr. Stephen Jones explains why heartworm "season" is really a year-round issue in many areas.

Canine | Feline | Prevention | Life Cycle | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

How do heartworm preventives work?

Dr. Doug Carithers explains how macrocyclic lactones affect the heartworm parasite.

Canine | Feline | Prevention | Life Cycle | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

UGA research investigates alternative to doxycycline in a heartworm treatment program

Dr. Molly Salvadelis explains the findings of a UGA study comparing doxycycline to minocycline in a heartworm treatment protocol

Canine | Treatment | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

Immune complex formation in dogs with heartworm infection

Veterinary parasitologist Dr. Lindsay Starkey explains why immune complexes can sometimes complicate heartworm diagnoses.

Canine | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

New research on heartworm immune complex

Veterinary parasitologist Dr. Lindsay Starkey discusses published research on a novel way to break up immune complexes when diagnosing dogs with heartworm infection.

Canine | Feline | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

Making the case for heartworm prevention to cat owners

Feline practitioner Dr. Mark Cousins of New Orleans explains how he positions heartworm prevention to cat owners as part of a preventive healthcare program.

Feline | Prevention | Veterinary Professionals | Cost | Incidence
Category: Video

How veterinarians can start the feline heartworm conversation with clients

Feline practitioner Dr. Mark Cousins of New Orleans explains how veterinarians who are new to discussing feline heartworm disease with clients can get comfortable with the topic.

Feline | Prevention | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

When cats test positive for heartworms, what's next?

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Clarke Atkins explains how veterinarians can interpret the results of antigen and antibody heartworm tests in cats.

Feline | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals | Cost
Category: Video

When dogs test positive for heartworms, what's next?

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Clarke Atkins outlines testing strategies for dogs that test positive for heartworms.

Canine | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals | Cost
Category: Video

Why does severe weather create a perfect storm for heartworm transmission?

Veterinary cardiologist Dr. Clarke Atkins explains how heartworm epidemics can occur as fallout from hurricanes.

Canine | Diagnosis | Treatment | Life Cycle | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Incidence
Category: Video

Talking to dog owners about rest and recovery during heartworm treatment

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Deb Horwitz provides easy tips owners can follow to keep their dogs mentally engaged but physically calm during heartworm treatment.

Canine | Treatment | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

Keeping dogs mentally stimulated but physically quiet during heartworm treatment

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Deb Horwitz provides easy tips owners can follow to keep their dogs mentally engaged but physically calm during heartworm treatment.

Canine | Treatment | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

Handling bathroom breaks for dogs on cage rest

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Deb Horwitz addresses the question of how owners can safely handle taking their dogs outside for bathroom breaks during heartworm treatment.

Canine | Treatment | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

Three Models of Care: Expanding Options for Treating Heartworms

Three specialists in shelter medicine explain how they are managing the medical, logistical and financial challenges of treating heartworm infection in patients.

Treatment | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Cost | Transport of Infected Pets
Category: Video

Heartworm Life Cycle for Pet Owners

An overview of the heartworm lifecycle, with an emphasis on the importance of prevention.
Download MP4 Video File

Canine | Prevention | Life Cycle | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Media | Pet Owners
Category: Video

Heartworm Life Cycle for Professionals

An in-depth overview of heartworm life cycle and prevention that is useful for students, new staff, and veterinary professionals.
Download MP4 Video File

Canine | Prevention | Treatment | Life Cycle | Shelters | Veterinary Professionals | Media
Category: Video

Do Cats Get Heartworms?

Yes, cats get heartworm disease and need heartworm prevention.

Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

19 Dilemma of the Missed Dose (Clarke Atkins)

Dr. Clarke Atkins, DACVIM, discusses how veterinary professionals should treat the "missed" dose of heartworm preventative. Pet owners can accidentally forget to dose their pet. What is the impact or risk to the pet when this occurs? How should veterinarians and veterinary technicians better educate pet owners to prevent this from happening?

Canine | Feline | Prevention | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

18 Why Prevent Heartworm in Non-Endemic Areas (Matthew W. Miller)

Pet owners can accidentally forget to dose their pet. What is the impact or risk to the pet when this occurrs? How should veterinarians and veterinary technicians better educate pet owners to prevent this from happening? Dr. Clarke Atkins, DACVIM (Cardiology), discusses how veterinary professionals should treat the "missed" dose of heartworm preventative.

Canine | Feline | Prevention | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners | Incidence
Category: Video

17 Why Do We Remind to Test and NOT Prevent? (Tom Nelson)

How should veterinarians and veterinary technicians be handling heartworm disease in non-endemic regions? Should pets still be treated? Dr. Matt Miller, DACVIM (Cardiology) discusses why it's important to prevent heartworm in non-endemic areas of the United States.

Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

16 Diagnosing Heartworm Disease/Infection in Cats (Matthew W. Miller)

Dr. Tom Nelson, veterinarian at Animal Medical Center in Alabama, discusses why we are often taught to "test" for heartworm more than we are taught to "prevent" heartworm disease.

Feline | Diagnosis | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

15 Dog in a Box But Not Bored (Debra F. Horwitz)

Veterinarians and veterinary technicians living in an endemic area must feel comfortable accurately diagnosing feline heartworm disease. Dr. Matt Miller, DACVIM (Cardiology), discusses how to diagnose heartworm disease/infection in cats.

Canine | Treatment | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners
Category: Video

14 Repellency: Does it Really Prevent Heartworm Transmission? (John W. McCall)

Dr. Debra Horwitz, DACVB of Veterinary Behavior Consultations in St. Louis, Missouri, discusses the importance of appropriate client communication with the pet owner in the heartworm positive dog. By addressing the pet owner's concerns, addressing the pet's concerns, and still providing the heartworm positive dog with certain types of exercise, veterinary professionals can work with pet owners to ensure the best outcome for heartworm positive dogs that must be exercise-restricted. Dr. Debra Horwitz, DACVB of Veterinary Behavior Consultations in St. Louis, Missouri, discusses the importance of appropriate client communication with the pet owner in the heartworm positive dog.

Canine | Prevention | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video

13 There Goes the Neighborhood: The Potential Impact of 1 Heartworm Positive Dog (Matthew W. Miller)

Dr. John McCall, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses how repellency and insectile efficacy can help prevent heartworm transmission in dogs and cats. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians must be aware of the best ways to help minimize the risks of heartworm to their patients.

Canine | Prevention | Diagnosis | Life Cycle | Veterinary Professionals | Incidence
Category: Video

12 Treating Heartworm Disease: Why Use the AHS Protocol (Tom Nelson)

Veterinarians and veterinary technicians, along with those who help rescue and place dogs throughout North America, must be aware of the impact of heartworm in their locales. Dr. Matt Miller, DACVIM (Cardiology), discusses the impact of just ONE positive heartworm dog and how it impacts your neighborhood or town.

Canine | Treatment | Veterinary Professionals
Category: Video


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!