spokesman
President
American Heartworm Society
Dr. Nelson is considered a pioneer for his clinical work in the study of heartworm disease in cats. In 1997-98, after doubting the validity of the incidence of heartworm in cats, he conducted his own study by performing necropsies on 259 cats to determine true incidence. This study reported adult heartworms in 10 percent of the cats examined and exposure to heartworm larvae in 26 percent of the cats. He also determined there was a higher prevalence of heartworm than feline leukemia or AIDS and that there was no correlation between heartworm and AIDS. His work resulted in a paper presented at the 1998 Heartworm Symposium, and published in “”Recent Advancement in Heartworm Disease.”” He has authored or co-authored several papers and contributed to several textbooks on the subject of heartworm disease.
A 1979 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, Dr. Nelson was elected president of the American Heartworm Society (AHS) in 2004. He has been an executive board member since 2001 and has been in private practice for 27 years. Dr. Nelson began practicing in Beaumont, Texas, in 1979 and then expanded his practice to the Animal Medical Center in Anniston, Ala., in July 1999.
Dr. Nelson has hosted his own radio show and appeared on other local television and radio broadcasts. He was awarded the 2002 Public Relations Award by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association for his work in establishing co-operative marketing television campaigns for local VMAs throughout the state of Texas. He has been quoted in numerous newspapers and magazines, most recently in the Chicago Tribune, the Desert Sun, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cat Fancy and Animal Sheltering magazine.
Dr. Nelson is a member of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and has chaired several task forces and committees. He is also a member of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Board of Directors of the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC).