When an infected mosquito bites a dog, it
releases young heartworms, called larvae, which mature into bigger worms that lodge in the dog's heart and lungs.
Additionally, many heartworms in ferrets do not reproduce — for example, an infection with a single male heartworm won't lead to any heartworm babies — so the tests designed to look
for young heartworms is likewise often useless.
While young heartworms (microfilariae) can be killed off at home using a monthly prophylaxis, adult heartworms are more stubborn and require hospitalization.
When mosquitoes bite an infected animal and ingest their blood,
young heartworms (microfilariae) enter the mosquito's digestive system.
The adult female heartworm, living in the artery or right side of the infected mammal's heart, releases microfilariae (
young heartworms) into the bloodstream.
A: Studies have shown that if you use ivermectin, the common preventative, on a monthly basis in a dog with heartworm disease, after about two years you'll kill off most of the dog's
young heartworms.
Sudden death is thought to be due to a reaction within the lungs to
the young heartworms, or to a reaction to dead or live heartworms entering the pulmonary arteries and obstructing the flow of blood to the lungs.