The COVID-19 crisis has created unprecedented disruptions in veterinary practices and animal shelters, making it challenging for many professionals to deliver wellness care, as well as certain medical treatments, to patients.

As veterinary practices and animal shelters strive to provide the best possible care for their patients, questions frequently arise about heartworm prevention, testing and treatment.

To address these questions, the American Heartworm Society (AHS) has released recommendations to help clinics and shelters deploy optimal strategies for heartworm management in today’s challenging environment. 

 “The COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for veterinarians and shelters to change many day-to-day operations in the interest of limiting virus transmission and protecting public health. This, in turn, has led to questions from veterinarians and shelters about how to adjust their heartworm protocols in the interim. The new recommendations are intended to provide guidance for the unique circumstances veterinarians face today,” stated AHS president Chris Duke, DVM. 

 According to Dr. Duke, the COVID-19 document will be updated on an as-needed basis in the coming weeks and months and as additional questions arise.

 Veterinary professionals and others with questions outside the scope of the COVID-19 position paper are encouraged to visitheartwormsociety.org or contact the AHS at info@heartwormsociety.org.