Hampton Roads has a greater rate of heartworm disease in dogs than many other areas of the Commonwealth of Virginia. At GMHS, our goal is to leverage our network of shelter and rescue groups to transfer in more heartworm-positive dogs from shelters that lack the resources to treat these dogs in need. In our care, they receive the life-saving treatment they need and the opportunity to make lasting heart connections through adoption.

Heartworms can be prevented by giving a monthly preventative prescribed by a veterinarian. However, treating heartworm disease is incredibly expensive and can cost as much as $1,000 per dog. Due to a lack of resources, some shelters may be faced with euthanizing heartworm-positive dogs or choosing to forego testing them prior to adoption for fear of the results.

There is no shortage of heartworm-positive dogs in shelters throughout the region, and GMHS is committed to saving their lives. With transfer to GMHS and treatment of heartworm disease, they g...