American Heartworm Society

What American Heartworm Society does

The American Heartworm Society (AHS) is a nonprofit professional veterinary association founded in 1974 and headquartered in Holly Springs, North Carolina. It operates as the recognized authority on heartworm disease in dogs and cats, developing and continuously updating Canine and Feline Heartworm Guidelines, conducting the only triennial nationwide Heartworm Incidence Survey covering nearly 6,000 U.S. veterinary practices and shelters, and producing triennial Heartworm Incidence Maps. Its constituents are practicing veterinarians, veterinary technicians, pet owners, and animal shelters; 82% of veterinarians report following AHS guidelines, indicating broad clinical adoption.

AHS's core products are content-based and include living-document clinical guidelines, incidence maps, the Triennial Heartworm Symposium, Heartworm University continuing education, podcasts and videos, client brochures and posters, the AHS Bulletin, and practice tools such as the Treatment Dosage Calculator, Heartworm Preventive Waiver, and the Heartworm Toolkit App. The underlying technology is light: a memberclicks-hosted membership portal and online store, a standalone Heartworm Toolkit App, and aggregated clinical/test data from participating practices. There is no proprietary software platform or AI/ML component disclosed.

Revenue is generated through three channels: recurring membership dues (members receive the AHS Bulletin, exclusive quarterly Zoom discussions, and special pricing on materials and symposium registration), one-time and ongoing donations (via PayPal), and sales of educational materials and event registrations. The organization is funded in significant part by industry sponsors, including Platinum sponsors Elanco, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Zoetis and Silver sponsors IDEXX Laboratories and Merck Animal Health. Distribution occurs through the online store and membership portal and the in-person Triennial Symposium; marketing is primarily organic (website, Facebook, Instagram) and email newsletter. The organization is governed by an elected board of veterinary specialists.

Name

American Heartworm Society

Legal name

American Heartworm Society

Website

https://heartwormsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Heartworm Society is a nonprofit veterinary association founded in 1974 that develops clinical guidelines, runs the only triennial nationwide heartworm incidence survey, and provides educational resources for veterinarians, pet owners, and animal shelters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Professional Association

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (81393)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Health Policy, Standards & International Coordination (e.g., WOAH/FAO) (HLAMAJAO)

Keywords

• Veterinary clinical guidelines
• Heartworm disease education
• Veterinary continuing education
• Veterinary professional association
• Parasitology research resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Holly Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: AHS members pay membership dues and receive the AHS Bulletin, participate in exclusive quarterly Zoom discussions with AHS experts, and receive special pricing on client brochures and Triennial Heartworm Symposium registration.
2. Donations: The organization accepts one-time and ongoing donations from supporters to fund educational mission and research initiatives.
3. Sales of educational materials: AHS sells brochures, educational materials, and resources to veterinarians and pet owners through online ordering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American Heartworm Society is a nonprofit professional veterinary association that develops and disseminates evidence-based clinical guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heartworm disease in dogs and cats. Its core offerings include continually updated Canine and Feline Heartworm Guidelines, triennial nationwide Heartworm Incidence Surveys and Maps, and the Triennial Heartworm Symposium. The organization also sells printed client brochures, publishes the AHS Bulletin for members, and provides practice tools such as the Treatment Dosage Calculator and the Heartworm Toolkit App.

Product overview

The American Heartworm Society offers a comprehensive suite of educational resources and professional tools for heartworm disease management. The core offerings include continuously updated Canine and Feline Heartworm Guidelines, triennial Heartworm Incidence Maps, and the Triennial Heartworm Symposium. Practice tools include Treatment Dosage Calculator and Heartworm Preventive Waiver. Educational resources encompass client brochures, posters, videos, podcasts, and Heartworm University. Members receive the AHS Bulletin, access to quarterly expert discussions, and special pricing on materials. The organization also conducts the Heartworm Incidence Survey and provides consultation services for veterinary professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AHS Membership Paid annual membership program for veterinary professionals that includes the AHS Bulletin, access to exclusive quarterly Zoom discussions with AHS experts, and special pricing on client brochures and Triennial Heartworm Symposium registration.
• Triennial Heartworm Symposium Paid professional conference held every three years that brings together veterinary and heartworm experts, academicians, industry leaders, and practicing veterinarians to learn about the latest heartworm research and treatment.
• Client Brochures and Educational Materials

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of veterinarians follow AHS guidelines on heartworm prevention, testing, and treatment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2010CAPC and AHS co-sponsored a roundtable meeting on heartworm resistance issues, bringing together leading veterinary parasitologists, researchers, and cardiologists. Both organizations acknowledge the possibility of resistance and encourage further research while maintaining current preventive strategies.
• ASPCAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHS collaborated with ASPCA to develop transport guidelines to help stop heartworm transmission via relocated dogs, providing best practices for veterinarians working with shelter organizations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM): Specialty college that issues consensus statements and CE in veterinary internal medicine (including cardiology — AHS's President Marisa Ames holds the DACVIM Cardiology credential); structurally similar to AHS as a specialty-body setting clinical standards.
• North American Veterinary Community (NAVC): Major nonprofit provider of veterinary continuing education and conferences (VMX), directly comparable to AHS in running large professional events (NAVC's VMX parallels AHS's Triennial Heartworm Symposium) and producing CE content for practicing veterinarians.
• Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC): Nonprofit veterinary association focused on parasitic diseases of companion animals; same membership-association structure, overlapping veterinary audience, and a documented co-sponsorship history with AHS on the heartworm resistance roundtable — the most direct functional peer to AHS.
• American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP): Single-species (feline) specialty veterinary association producing practice guidelines, CE, and member resources — directly comparable to AHS in being a small specialty nonprofit producing authoritative clinical guidelines for a defined patient population.
• Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS): Single-disease specialty veterinary association that, like AHS, develops practice guidelines, hosts conferences, and serves as an authoritative scientific voice for a specific condition in companion animals.

Emerging players

• dvm360 (MJH Life Sciences): For-profit veterinary media and continuing-education brand publishing peer-reviewed clinical content targeted at practicing veterinarians; overlaps with AHS in producing CE and clinical decision-support content but operates as commercial media rather than a nonprofit membership body.

Broad incumbents

• American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA): Accrediting body for companion-animal hospitals that issues practice standards (AHS President Christopher Rehm's four AAHA-certified hospitals illustrate the linkage); overlapping audience of small-animal practitioners and overlapping standard-setting function, but AAHA covers all of practice management rather than a single disease.
• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): The largest U.S. veterinary professional association, offering broad CE, advocacy, and practice resources across all species and disciplines; overlaps with AHS's professional-veterinarian audience but is far broader in scope and is the dominant incumbent in the same space.

Others

• Veterinary Medical Association Executives (VMAE): Association of executives from veterinary medical associations; not a competitor but a peer-of-peers organization supporting the operational and executive-function side of running groups like AHS, and a relevant comparator for governance and association-management practices.

Regional players

• World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA): International small-animal veterinary association producing global guidelines and CE; comparable structure and mission to AHS but operating worldwide rather than U.S.-only, making it the international analog of AHS's specialty-body role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/heartwormsociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/americanheartwormsociety
• Xx.com/AHS_Think12
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-heartworm-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Heartworm Society