Adults live within the liver of canids and other carnivores associated with aquatic habitats. Embryonated eggs pass in the feces. Those eggs that end up in water bodies are eaten by snails of the genus Amnicola. As with other parasites whose eggs must be eaten, this parasite cannot control when its eggs enter the first intermediate host and unembryonated eggs would be killed.
Within the snail the miracidium hatches and migrates to the hepatopancreas, transforming into a mother sporocyst. Mother rediae are produced and these produce daughter rediae. The daughter rediae release cercariae which leave the snail. These are relatively long-lived cercariae, surviving for several days. The cercariae swims until it contacts a suitable fish second intermediate host, such as a sucker, where it penetrates the skin. The cercaria migrates to the muscles, encysts as a metacercaria, and waits.
Definitive hosts eating live fish or scavenging dead fish ingest metacercariae. The metacercariae can withstand short periods of freezing, which aids their transmission by scavenging, even in northern regions.