Join our email list!

Welcome! The American Heartworm Society is dedicated to serving all veterinary professionals -- including students.

Cost

• AHS Bulletin Delivered to your Email Address
• Access to All Paid-Member Online Resources at heartwormsociety.org
• Reduced pricing on cetain educational materials available through our online store

Application Process

Click here and use the code TechStudent22-23 when prompted to pay, discounting the student membership to zero. You will also need to upload an image of your valid student ID. If you have any questions, send an email to sonya.hennessy@heartwormsociety.org.

Renewal

Veterinary Technician/Nurse Student Memberships will be extended to June 15 of your anticipated graduation year.

Once you have completed your studies, you will no longer be eligible for a student membership, and you will need to upgrade to one of our very reasonably-priced, paid professional membership plans.

Thank you for your interest in submitting an abstract for the 2025 Triennial Symposium. The deadline for submitting is March 1, 2025. Authors will be notified of submission status no later than April 1, 2025. Please contact lisa.scott@heartwormsociety.org with any questions.

Download Author Instructions

Welcome! The American Heartworm Society is dedicated to serving all veterinary professionals -- including students.

Cost

• AHS Bulletin Delivered to your Email Address
• Access to All Paid-Member Online Resources at heartwormsociety.org
• Reduced pricing on cetain educational materials available through our online store

Application Process

Click here and use the code STU2023 when prompted to pay, discounting the student membership to zero. You will also need to upload an image of your valid student ID. If you have any questions, send an email to sonya.hennessy@heartwormsociety.org.

Renewal

Student Memberships will be extended to June 15 of your anticipated graduation year.

Once you have completed your studies, you will no longer be eligible for a student membership, and you will need to upgrade to one of our very reasonably-priced, paid professional membership plans.

The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round administration of medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent heartworm infection. Currently available preventives are listed below; as new products become available, updates will be posted at heartwormsociety.org. Consult the appropriate manufacturer for minimum age/weight, use during breeding/lactation, or other health requirements for product usage.

Resistance Statement

Diagnostic Algorithm

Please click the external link below to review the terms and conditions related to the  American Heartworm Society 2019 Heartworm Incidence Survey.

You acknowledge that by clicking the link below, you are leaving the American Heartworm Society website and going to a different website.

http://certified.promotrust.com/bi/ahssurveysweepstakes/rules

The abstract submission deadline has passed. For more information, please contact Lisa Scott at lisa.scott@heartwormsociety.org.

Heartworm prevention for dogs is an important concern for every pet owner. Prevention is an important part of providing essential care, and heartworm disease prevention for dogs is something every owner can do. Consider this:

• Dogs have been diagnosed with heartworm disease in every state in the U.S.
• Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes, so any area of the country that has mosquitoes—even just a few of them—can also have heartworm disease.
• Dogs don’t just need prevention during warm-weather months. Heartworm preventives work by treating heartworms that already infected the pet within the past month or longer; meanwhile, preventives need to be given on time, every time to be effective. That’s why the American Heartworm Society recommends year-round heartworm prevention for pets.
• The American Heartworm Society estimates that more than a million dogs in the U.S. have heartworm disease—and heartworm disease can be fatal.
• Cats and ferrets can also get heartworm disease.
• Heartworm preventives are safe, relatively inexpensive and easy to give, but if a dog becomes infected, heartworm treatment can be costly and difficult, requiring multiple veterinary visits and months of exercise restriction.
• While there are drug-free strategies owners can put in place to reduce a pet’s exposure to mosquitoes, there’s no such thing as a “natural” heartworm preventives.

Heartworm preventives come in different forms, including monthly chewable pills and topical “spot on” medications, as well as an injectable medication that is given every 6 or 12 months. Heartworm preventives are available only by prescription from veterinarians.

Some preventives only prevent heartworms, some protect pets from heartworms and intestinal parasites, and some protect pets from many different parasites, including heartworms, intestinal worms, fleas, ticks and mites. Because veterinarians know which parasites are common in the area in which they practice, owners should talk to their pet’s doctor about what product or products will be best for their pets.

For more information on the “dos” and “don’ts” of heartworm prevention in dogs, click here.

Heartworm medicine for dogs doesn't have to be confusing. There are really two types of heartworm medicine for dogs: (1) those that prevent heartworms in dogs; and (2) those that are used to treat heartworms in dogs after they become infected. 

Preventive medications come in several forms, including chewable pills, topical “spot-ons” and injectable medications. Because one form or another may be easier for owners to give their dogs and because some—but not all—products may prevent multiple parasites besides heartworms, owners and veterinarians should work together to determine the best product for an individual pet. The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round administration of heartworm preventives to ensure pets are protected from deadly heartworms.

If a dog becomes infected, the resulting heartworm disease can cause life-long damage. Treating heartworm infection and killing the adult worms that infect the dogs heart, lungs and arteries can be very expensive and requires months of treatment and multiple veterinary visits. During the treatment period, pets must be kept quiet, with exercise avoided. 

Medications for heartworm prevention and treatment are available only by prescription from veterinarians. Prevention is always the best option, as damage from heartworms can be permanent.  

Regardless of what owners read or hear from other owners, it’s important to understand that there are no "natural" products that can be used for either prevention or treatment.  Always use FDA-approved products as recommended by your veterinarian.

Use the filters below to find Heartworm Society resources for your pet.

Use the filters below to find Heartworm Society resources for your practice.

To add: descriptive text here.

I am a Veterinary Professional  I am a Pet Owner

Let's talk about heartworm

Looking for a non-threatening, kid-friendly way to approach the subject of heartworm treatment? Try using these printable activity pages and handouts. They make great discussion starters and help put kids at ease about their pets' treatment plan.

Word Scramble + Answer Key

Who can get heartworms? Unscramble these words to find out!

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

Heartworm Word Search + Answer Key

Older kids learn about heartworm terms in this more difficult word search activity.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

Heartworm Disease Crossword + Answer Key

Crossword clues help to teach older children heartworm disease terms.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

At the Veterinarian

Coloring page to help young pet owners learn about heartworm prevention.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

Heartworm Health Exam

Coloring page helps teach young kids about trips to the veterinarian.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

Road Maze

A fun maze helps get children on the right path to responsible pet care.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

Word Search

Younger kids learn about veterinary terms in this simple word search activity.

Category: Just for Kids
Canine | Feline | Prevention | Diagnosis | Treatment | Exotics | Shelters | Other | Veterinary Professionals | Pet Owners

Download PDF

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY respects and protects the privacy of users of any AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY web site (hereinafter "Site"). This Privacy Policy discloses how we collect and use information on the Site, and the choices that you can make about the way your information is collected and used.

1. INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

Portions of the Site may require that users who wish to contact the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY to request information provide personally identifiable contact information. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY uses the information you provide to respond to your request. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY keeps this information on file and may use this information to contact users in the future. Users purchasing AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY products online are also required to provide personally identifying information, including credit card information. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY uses this information to process and identify each user's order. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY keeps personally identifiable information provided by users on file, and may use this information to contact users in the future.

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY does not now, and never will, sell or rent personally identifiable user information collected about or from our users. In the event that The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY sells or is acquired by another business concern, in whole or in part, The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY may transfer user information in conjunction with such sale or acquisition, at which time the policy controlling sale or rental of user information may change.

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY reserves the right to access and disclose personally identifiable information as it deems necessary to protect the Site, the content of the Site, or at the request of competent court authorities or law enforcement agencies.

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY collects non-personally identifiable information when visitors access the Site. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY does not link this anonymous information to personal information. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY uses this non-personally identifiable information in aggregated form for the purpose of improving its products and services.

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY does not report, provide, rent or sell online subscription service usage information except as required by competent court authorities or law enforcement agencies. Usage information can include, but is not limited to, login date and time information, amount of time spent online, number of pages visited, number of exams or lessons completed, and scores achieved during exams.

2. PRIVACY STATEMENT CONSENT OR OPT-OUT

Users who provide information requested by the Site, or who continue to use the Site after having an opportunity to review this Privacy Policy, thereby consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and to the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY's use of the information it collects as described in this Privacy Policy. Those who do not agree to this Privacy Policy may not use the Site.

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time without giving prior notice. If there are material changes to this Privacy Policy, the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY will post such changes on the Site. Use of the Site following any such modification constitutes agreement to follow and be bound by the Privacy Policy as modified.

3. ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF USER INFORMATION

Users may request access to the data the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY has collected about them by sending an e-mail request to Customer Service. After review, if users believe an error has been made, they may request that the information be corrected by submitting a request to Customer Service. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY will correct the error upon adequate verification in its sole and absolute discretion. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY will take reasonable steps to verify a user's identity before granting access or making corrections.

4. DATA INTEGRITY/SECURITY

The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY has taken security measures to protect against loss, misuse or alteration of payment and other information under the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY's control in accordance with standard business practices.

5. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

The Site is not intended for children. Users under eighteen (18) years of age are prohibited from posting or providing any personal information on the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY web site. The AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY relies on users to comply with the provisions of this paragraph.

The Site may contain links to other web sites. Please be aware that other web sites that may be accessed through this Site may collect personally identifiable information about users. The information practices of those third-party web sites linked to this Site are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Under no circumstances shall the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY be liable for any damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or exemplary damages, that result from the use of information or materials posted to or collected as a result of the user's accessing the Site, even if the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

6. CONTACT INFORMATION

Users wishing to access or correct any personally identifying information may contact the AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY via e-mail at INFO@HEARTWORM SOCIETY.ORG.

7. EFFECTIVE DATE

The effective date of this Privacy Policy is SEPTEMBER 1, 2014.

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.

As part of our mission to lead the public in the understanding of heartworm disease, we are constantly developing informational tools and resources for pet owners. We encourage you to download, share and make use of the resources listed below.

As part of our mission to lead the veterinary profession & the public in the understanding of heartworm disease, we are constantly developing tools and resources for veterinarians and their clients. We encourage you to download, share and make use of the resources below.

When the “About” link is clicked, we need to see a brief overview about AHS (non-profit, creates guidelines, hosts symposia, etc.) and some corresponding images. This will be NEW—we will need to write.

Thank you for your participation. We will report the results of this survey in spring 2020.