Zoonotic disease reference manual for veterinary practitioners
Notifiable diseases and regulations and laws pertaining to animals
Section 1. Notifiable diseases and regulations and laws pertaining to animals
- Reportable to Washington State Veterinarian
Any veterinarian or veterinary laboratory must report to the Office of the State Veterinarian any of the diseases listed.
Reports may be faxed to 360-902-2087 or sent to:
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Animal Services Division
1111 Washington Street S.E.
P.O. Box 42577
Olympia, Washington 98504-2577
- Notifiable to Washington State Dept. of Health
Notifiable Conditions & the Veterinarian
For any suspected human case or outbreak of a notifiable condition based on the human’s exposure to a confirmed animal case, call Public Health - Seattle & King County Communicable Disease Epidemiology at 206-296-4774.
- Rabies: Suspected human cases or exposures, or animal cases, are notifiable
- For suspected animal exposures to rabies, or suspected animal cases of rabies, call Public Health Communicable Disease Epidemiology at 206-296-4774. For more information on rabies, visit Animal bites and rabies and Bats and rabies.
- Canine influenza virus (CIV) case report form (1 MB)
- Canine leptospirosis reporting (188 KB)
In King County, fax the completed form along with leptospirosis serovars results to the Office of the Public Health Veterinarian at 206-296-0189.
Washington state rules on bringing animals into the state
Dog, cats and ferrets WAC 16-54-170
For more information, contact:
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Animal Health Program
PO Box 42577
Olympia, WA 98504-2577
- Phone: 360-902-1878, After hours phone: 800-942-1035, Fax: 360-902-2087
- Email: Access at https://agr.wa.gov/contact-us
- Website: Import requirements
Rules on taking animals out of Washington state
- Out of Washington state to another state:
- Check the USDA APHIS Pet Travel site and select the specific state to which you are traveling with your pet
- Most states require a health certificate issued within 30 days of shipment and a current rabies vaccination.
- Please contact the Destination State Veterinarian's office for additional requirements.
- Most airlines require a Certificate of Health for pets from a USDA accredited veterinarian.
- International travel:
- Check the USDA APHIS Pet Travel site for specific information by country on taking your pet from the United States to a foreign country (export)
Rules on bringing animals into the United States
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention animal importation regulations
Animals regulated by the CDC include dogs, cats, turtles, monkeys, bats, birds from specified countries, civets, and African rodents. Other species may be regulated by other agencies. - Information on dog importation
- Information on cat importation
- Check the USDA APHIS Pet Travel site for specific information by country on taking your pet from the United States to a foreign country (import)
Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.
- Service Animals, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Use of a trained service animal in employment, WA State Human Rights Commission
- Guide to Service Animals and the WA State Law Against Discrimination, WA State Human Rights Commission
- Commonly asked questions about service animals (49 KB), King County Civil Rights
Dangerous animals prohibited by King County
- Venomous species of snakes capable of inflicting serious physical harm or death to human beings;
- Nonhuman primates and prosimians;
- Bears;
- Non-domesticated species of felines;
- Non-domesticated species of canines and their hybrids, including wolf and coyote hybrids; and
- The order Crocodylia, including alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gavials King County Code Title 11 (Animal Control), Chapter 11.01.160 Exotic Animal (Updated Aug 3, 2023)
- Wildlife control operators in Washington state
- Report sick or dead birds in a poultry flock to WA Department of Agriculture:
WSDA Sick Bird hotline: 1-800-606-3056 (poultry includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese).
Reporting wildlife
Many wildlife observations can be reported to the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. Some of the more common reporting:
- Reporting injured wildlife
All native wild birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians are protected by Washington State laws and regulations. There is almost never a time that you should remove a baby wild animal from its natural environment. Report all injured wildlife to King County rehabilitation centers permitted by WA Fish and Wildlife:
- PAWS Wildlife Center
15305 44th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98046
425-412-4040
Notes: All species including large carnivores - Featherhaven – Re: Kelley Ward
Enumclaw, WA 98022
253-350-5792
Note: songbirds only
- PAWS Wildlife Center
- Report die-offs in wild birds
- Single sick or dead raptors (eagles, hawks, owls)
- Birds that may have been poisoned or poached
- Single sick or dead raptors (eagles, hawks, owls)
- Report groups of bats
Liability immunity exists for veterinarians who report suspected animal cruelty in good faith and in the normal course of business: RCW 16.52.330
King County Board of Health Title 8: Zoonotic Disease Prevention (330 KB)
Contains chapters regarding Pet Business Regulations, Rabies, and Rodent Control
Section 2. Infection control
Infection control on livestock production facilities and in veterinary practices protects animal and human health by establishing disease prevention practices. These principles prevent the spread of endemic diseases as well as zoonotic and foreign animal diseases.
- NASPHV Veterinary Standard Precautions Compendium (PDF) : veterinary standards precautions outlined in this Compendium are routine infection control practices designed to minimize transmission of zoonotic pathogens from animal patients to veterinary personnel in private practice.
- Model Infection Control Plan for Veterinary Practices (PDF): model infection control plan that can be adapted to individual practices.
- Handwashing
- Handwashing posters (available in multiple languages), PHSKC
- Hand sanitizing station poster (195 KB)
- Handwashing poster, Iowa State University (PDF)
- Cleaning and disinfecting
- Disinfection information, Iowa State University (PDF)
- Cleaning and disinfection protocol, Iowa State University (PDF)
- Bleach Dilution Calculator, PHSKC (MS Excel format)
- Biomedical waste disposal and management
- Hazardous waste disposal and management
Hazardous wastes are products that contain ingredients that are toxic, flammable, reactive or corrosive. Proper disposal prevents hazardous waste from entering the environment; damaging soil, groundwater and streams; or causing harm to people and animals. - Take Back Your Meds
- Hazardous waste disposal and management
Section 3. Disaster preparedness for veterinarians
Animals are impacted by the same disasters and emergencies as humans. Whether it's a flood or an earthquake, a chemical leak or an act of terrorism, veterinarians are critical to response and recovery efforts during and after disasters. Preparation is important to limit the impact of disasters.
The Mission of WSDA's Reserve Veterinary Corps (RVC) is to assist the WSDA Animal Health Program in the event of a livestock or companion animal health emergency such as a Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) outbreak or a natural disaster. Members may assist with animal care and treatment, evacuation, vaccination, specimen collection, decontamination, euthanasia, necropsy, collection of epidemiological information, as well as public education and outreach. The RVC program provides the training and credentials to veterinarians to provide support in an animal and/or public health emergency response.
Section 4. Zoonotic and vector-borne diseases
Approximately 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are diseases of animal origin, and approximately 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic. Some zoonotic diseases are transmitted directly from animals to people, some result from contamination of the environment by animals, and others require a vector such a tick or mosquito. Examples of zoonotic diseases include:
- Bacterial - Salmonella, E. coli, leptospirosis
- Viral - Rabies, avian influenza
- Fungal - Ringworm, sporotrichosis
- Parasitic - Toxoplasmosis, larval migrans due to roundworms
- Vector-borne
- West Nile virus, spread by mosquitoes
- Lyme disease, spread by ticks
- Zoonotic and vector-borne diseases from A to Z
- Zoonotic and vector-borne diseases by animal
- Zoonotic diseases and people with increased risk
- Zoonotic Diseases: Information for Pet Owners (917 KB)
Tips on how to stay healthy around pets; how to protect people who are immune-comprised; guidelines for handling cats and dogs. - Healthy Pets Healthy People Publications & Materials, CDC
- Other disease-specific resources: