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The survey, made possible through corporate sponsorship, will bedistributed to more than 40,000 veterinary clinics and hospitals this summer.Clinics, hospitals and shelters will also be able to respond online athttp://www.heartwormsociety.org/hwsurvey to record the number of dogs treatedand diagnosed with heartworm disease in 2007. As part of the Society'sthree-year plan, the survey will be conducted again for 2010. The last surveyrecorded cases of heartworm disease in 2004.
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"Collecting and recording the incidence of heartworm disease fits with ourmission to be the global resource for heartworm disease information," Rubinsaid. "We hope conveying the severity of this disease through actual numberswill help veterinarians encourage year-round prevention with pet owners andeventually move towards eradicating this easily preventable disease."
Rubin also outlined the Society's plan to increase outreach and teachingcapabilities. The Society will continue targeting pet owners and veterinariansvia an enhanced multi-media Web site and its sponsored awareness campaignssuch as KNOW Heartworms, a partnership with the American Association of FelinePractitioners and Pfizer Animal Health. Plans also include a potentialpartnership with the Companion Animal Parasite Council to drive more awarenessof heartworm disease, and a Webinar that will eventually include acertification training program and an in-clinic instructional videodemonstrating common testing, diagnosis and treatment protocols for petowners.
In addition, a "Heartworm University" program will extend AHS's outreachto veterinarians by targeting 10 state and local veterinary medicalassociation programs per year to communicate the Society's messaging topracticing veterinarians. Targeted areas would include those perceived ashaving little heartworm risk. Selected speakers will train and assistveterinarians on emerging areas in heartworm prevention, testing andtreatment, and provide tips on client communications and compliance. All theseefforts aim to encourage and educate year-round prevention.
"We have plans to attract a larger audience to our Symposia by holding astand-alone meeting and encouraging poster sessions," Rubin said. "These ideasare very exciting and we hope to engage all of our current sponsors to makethese programs the most effective they can be."
The American Heartworm Society, http://www.heartwormsociety.org, is theglobal resource for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heartwormdisease. It was formed during the Heartworm Symposium of 1974. The AmericanHeartworm Society stimulates and financially supports research, which furthersknowledge and understanding of the disease. Its headquarters are located inBatavia, Ill.Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), clickappropriate link.Dr. Sheldon Rubinhttp://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=64930
SOURCE American Heartworm Society
