Heartworm Treatment Study

Does Heartworm Treatment Impact LOS for Dogs in Southeastern Shelters?

Yes, it does.

This past spring, Southern Pines Animal Shelter was afforded a unique opportunity to address our most challenging shelter populations: medium-sized and large-breed, heartworm-positive dogs. Through a limited-time program, we were able to provide free heartworm treatment to eligible dogs in our care, while also offering deeply discounted treatment to adopters through our Healthy Pet Clinic. These combined efforts drastically reduced the length of stay (LOS) for heartworm-positive dogs, enabling us to more quickly find loving homes for these pets through both local adoption and through transport and to improve outcomes for a population that traditionally faces significant adoption barriers.

*Dogs included in this graph were those for whom heartworms were the only barrier to adoption.
Control Group: June 4, 2024 - August 20, 2024; Test Group: March 19, 2024 - June 1, 2024