The American Heartworm Society is conducting a survey to measure the incidence of heartworm disease in dogs in the United States.

The survey, made possible through corporate sponsorship, will be distributed to more than 40,000 veterinary clinics and hospitals this summer. Clinics, hospitals, and shelters will also be able to respond online at www.heartwormsociety.org/hwsurvey to record numbers of diagnoses of heartworm disease and numbers of dogs treated for the disease in 2007. As part of the society's plan, the survey will be conducted again to collect data for 2010. The society's last survey enumerated cases of heartworm disease in 2004.

"Collecting and recording the incidence of heartworm disease fits with our mission to be the global resource for heartworm disease information," said Dr. Sheldon Rubin, AHS president. "We hope conveying the severity of this disease through actual numbers will help veterinarians encourage year-round prevention with pet owners and eventually move toward eradicating this easily preventable disease."

The AHS is a resource for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heartworm disease. The society stimulates and financially supports research to further knowledge and understanding of the disease. To learn more, visit www.heartwormsociety.org.