The American Heartworm Society is proud to present  a new slideshow for use on our members' social media pages. This will be the first of several new tools AHS members can leverage now and during heartworm awareness month. Stay tuned for more!

One small — but crucial — tip has to do with heartworm medicine.

It's only natural to stop and take stock of your own health at the start of the new year. Here's why — and how — to do the same for your pets. There's certainly no right or wrong time to reassess the care your pet needs to stay heathy and happy. But the beginning of the year — after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, when you're making resolutions to stick to good habits — is an opportune time to give your pet's well-being the attention it needs, too. We've put together a list of the main tasks to keep in mind.

Christopher J. Rehm, Sr, DVM, is the incoming president of the American Heartworm Society (AHS). Dr. Rehm graduated from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982 and started Rehm Animal Clinic a year later in Mobile, Alabama. The clinic has grown into four AAHA-certified hospitals in two Alabama counties, employing 13 veterinarians and more than 70 support staff. With a clinic slogan of Caring for pets and people since 1983, Rehm Animal Clinic (rehmclinics.com) has won numerous Best Clinic and readers’ choice awards from local newspapers. In addition to practicing veterinary medicine, Dr. Rehm has written a syndicated pet column and hosted live public service spots and serves as a speaker at veterinary meetings.

American Heartworm Society also announces new officers, board members

NEW ORLEANS (September 22, 2016) — Changes in climate, heartworm vectors, diagnostic challenges, prevention practices and treatment protocols all were cited during during the 2016 American Heartworm Society (AHS) Triennial Symposium as reasons why the persistence of heartworm disease continues to confound veterinarians, researchers and pharmaceutical companies.

SAN ANTONIO - Veterinarians call it a silent killer and in San Antonio the chances of a pet being infected with heartworms is higher than most places around the country.

"Probably about 90 percent of our stray dogs in San Antonio are probably infected with heartworms," veterinary technician Crystal Tarr said.

Dr. Johns,

My poodle is on Trifexis. What is the logic behind requiring a blood test once a year before selling me this med?

I can buy a six months supply after the test and go back in six months and get six more months but after that they require another blood test to be sure that he does not have heart worms!

AHS announces the hottest topics on tap for the 15th Triennial Heartworm Symposium scheduled for September in New Orleans.

Let’s start with the good news: Not all mosquitoes bite. “Female mosquitos need certain proteins found in blood to grow their eggs,” says Joseph Conlon, technical advisor, American Mosquito Control Association. Since males don’t produce eggs, they don’t bite.

Here’s a brief look at the diseases that some types of mosquitos can spread in some parts of the world.

ZIKA

Who is affected Specific numbers are hard to come by, but cases have been reported in more than 36 countries in South America, Mexico, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean since last spring. As of mid-May, 544 people living in the U.S. have acquired Zika by traveling to an affected area.

ANIMAL WATCH-Heartworm disease is a serious infection that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets--mainly dogs--but also cats, coyotes, ferrets, wolves, sea lions, seals and other animals. And, occasionally it infects humans. The worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.