How do heartworms eat?

Answer 1

In graduate school I conducted research on heartworm disease and as a veterinarian I deal with it frequently, so I can provide a detailed response to this question.

There are both male and female heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) which live in the heart and pulmonary vessels. The adult heartworms mate and, unlike many other parasites, which produce eggs, heartworms produce live offspring called microfilariae (singular form microfilaria). The microfilariae are NOT infective rather they have to undergo an obligatory developmental phase in a mosquito.

When a mosquito takes a blood meal from a heartworm-infected dog, it will draw in some microfilariae from the bloodstream. The microfilariae undergo changes in form inside the mosquito until it becomes an L3 (third stage larval form), which is the infective form. This typically takes 14 days or longer. When the mosquito takes another blood meal and injects the L3 heartworms into the skin of a dog (or cat). In 3-4 days, while in the skin, the larvae undergo another change in form to become an L4. Over the ensuing 2-3 months, they migrate to the heart/pulmonary vessels and gradually develop into the adult form. Approximately 6-7 months following the initial infection (when the L3s were injected into the skin) the adult worms are mature, begin mating and produce microfilariae.

Answer 2

Heartworm larvae eat through the skin and connective tissue to get to the bloodstream. Once in the blood, they are transported to the arteries and lungs where they mature into adult worms (8-12" in length) that feed from the blood. It isn't the feeding that kills an animal but, rather, the inflammation/strangulation of the animal's organs from the increasing number of worms as they multiply, usually resulting in congestive heart failure.

Answer 3

The carrier or intermediate host is the mosquito. The infected Mosquito bites a dog or cat and transmits the microfilaria or baby heartworms. The next mosquito bites an infected dog and while sucking up the blood, gets a few baby heartworms sucked up too and then it becomes infected & on to the next dog to infect it. That is why it is so important to keep your dog on monthly heartworm preventative year around.

Answer 4

the same as you

Answer 5

By sliding in a dogs heart