Last week I wrote about two dogs which had been effected by the Ebola virus. Excalibur was euthanized by Madrid authorities despite protests across Spain. However, there is great news for Bentley, the 1-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belonging to Texas Health Presbyterian nurse Nina Pham. According to health officials with the city of Dallas, he has tested free of the virus and will remain in isolation for the remainder of his 21-day monitoring period. Pham’s condition was recently upgraded from fair to good. She has been in isolation at a the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Pham is the first person to contract Ebola in the United States.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Nina Pham was declared to be free of the virus and is scheduled for imminent release. No official word yet on her return to Dallas or when she will be able to reunite with family and friends.
“Bentley is doing great! Turns out he likes butt rubs,” Dallas spokeswoman Sana Syed wrote in a recent Tweet. She is PIO Director for City of Dallas/Public Policy and you can check out her Twitter feed for continuing updates at @dallaspiosana.
Dr. Cate McManus is the Dallas Animal Services veterinarian supervising Bentley’s care with the help of Texas A&M University emergency veterinary team. She said that “We are hopeful that Bentley’s journey will contribute to what we know about Ebola and dogs, since they play such an important role in so many people’s lives,
From video reports, Bentley appears to be very well taken care of. It’s not your typical dog’s life, but he looks happy nonetheless. His quarantine at a decommissioned naval air base is scheduled to last until at least November 1.