Communicable Diseases

If you are seeking cremation services for a pet who died while infected with a highly contagious disease such as (but not limited to) Parvo, please follow this protocol:

1) Call ahead to let us know you are bringing your pet to Radiant Heart. Tell us the cause of your pet’s death and any infectious diseases. We will take your order and payment info over the phone. We may not be able to create any pre-cremation memorials for your pet.

2) Place your pet — and only your pet (no blankets, towels or toys) — in a large plastic bag and seal the bag so that it is air-tight.

3) Wipe down the outside of the bag with a mild water/bleach solution.

4) When you arrive at our facility, please come to the back door and ring the doorbell.  We will meet you with a gurney.  

Notes from Animal Emergency Care about Communicable Diseases:

Here is a list of the diseases that are zoonotic and can be transmitted to people even after death:

https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/animal-transmitted-diseases

Here is a list of the diseases that the government is most concerned about (in terms of outbreaks):

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahrs/downloads/nlrad-nahrs-disease-list.pdf

The most common and significant infections that originate from cats include rabies, cat scratch disease, toxoplasmosis, and ringworm which are transmissible to multiple species. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), and panleukopenia are not zoonotic but are still communicable for some time after death.

The most common and significant infections that originate from dogs include rabies, leptospirosis, ringworm, Salmonella, and Campylobacter which are transmissible to multiple species. Distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus are not zoonotic but are still communicable for some time after death.

Not all of the conditions you see on any of these lists are easy to transmit after death, but most things are still contagious for some time.  Anything that is transmitted sexually, sneezing, coughing, or skin contact can be pretty easily mitigated. The hardest thing to prevent are diseases transmitted by urine and fecal matter because it comes out of most deceased patients fairly readily.