While nothing could replace her beloved 12-year-old dog Excalibur, Ebola survivor Teresa Romero Ramos has adopted a new four-legged family member.
When Ramos, a nursing aide in Madrid, was diagnosed with Ebola last October, people around the world were outraged when Spanish officials decided to euthanize Excalibur rather than quarantine him. Although there have been no documented cases of dogs with Ebola transmitting it to people, authorities from Madrid’s regional government stated at the time that “available scientific knowledge indicates there’s a risk the dog could transmit the deadly virus to humans.”
Ramos recovered from the disease, but was heartbroken over the loss of the dog she and her husband, Javier Limon, had raised since he was a puppy. Limon referred to Excalibur as the son they never had.
Yesterday the couple opened their hearts and home to Alma, a 6-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier puppy they adopted from the Centro Integral de Protección Animal (CIPA) de Alcorcón rescue center.
Limon told ABC.es they decided to adopt the pup from CIPA as a way to make society aware there are many abandoned animals that need homes.
“DIVA AHORA ALMA ADOPTADAAAAA,” CIPA wrote on its Facebook page Saturday (which loosely translates to “Soul diva now adoptadaaaaa,” LOL). It added, in Spanish, “This gorgeous dog has found a home. Thank you, Teresa and Javier, for adopting her.”
Shortly after Excalibur was euthanized, Dallas nurse Nina Pham was diagnosed with Ebola. Mayor Mike Rawlings quickly assured the public that Bentley, Pham’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, would not suffer the same fate as Excalibur. After being quarantined, Bentley was found to be free of the disease. Pham recovered and was happily reunited with her dog after she was released from a hospital.
In November, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) released new guidelines on treating the pets of people exposed to Ebola. The AVMA recommends that the pet be quarantined for 21 days or have someone else care for him during that period.
Anyone with known exposure to Ebola should have their pets quarantined for 21 days or have someone else care for them during that period, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced yesterday.
The AVMA began working on guidelines for treating the pets of Ebola patients last month, after Excalibur, the dog belonging to Madrid nurse Teresa Romero, who had tested positive for Ebola, was euthanized by health officials — despite a public outcry to quarantine the dog instead. (Romero has now filed a lawsuit for about $188,000.)
When Dallas nurse Nina Pham became infected with Ebola, her dog, Bentley, was quarantined for 21 days and found to be free of the virus. Pham, who is also now Ebola free, was reunited with Bentley on Nov. 1.
“The development of this guidance was a long process due to its novel and complex nature, as well as the lack of scientific data on Ebola and companion animals currently available,” according to an AVMA press release.
Developed in conjunction with health experts and agencies including the USDA and CDC, the AVMA’s new recommendations are intended to provide guidance for public health officials on how to assess, handle and monitor pets that may have been exposed to Ebola.
“There have been no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola virus or of being able to spread Ebola to people or other animals,” notes one of the two new AVMA documents, Interim Guidance for Public Health Officials on Pets of Ebola Virus Disease Contacts. “However, it is important to keep people and animals away from blood or body fluids of a person with symptoms of Ebola infection.”
The other new document, Interim Guidance for Dog or Cat Quarantine After Exposure to a Human with Confirmed Ebola Virus Disease, recommends that pets who came into contact with a person with Ebola must be assessed for exposure and may be placed in mandatory quarantine for at least 21 days. “This situation can be avoided if the pet is moved out of the residence of the person being monitored for Ebola before any symptoms start in the person,” according to the AVMA.
Resources for pet parents, veterinarians and health officials are available on the AVMA website’s Ebola Virus page.
After Dallas nurse Nina Pham was declared Ebola-free last week, she got a big hug from the president of the United States — but what she was really looking forward to was seeing her little dog, Bentley.
This morning, accompanied by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, Pham was finally able to hold Bentley again.
“After I was diagnosed with Ebola, I didn’t know what would happen to Bentley or if he would have the virus,” Pham said at a press conference today, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I would not know what would happen to one of my best friends.”
While Pham was being treated at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, she was provided with regular updates from Bentley’s team. Bentley had been under the care of Dallas Animal Services (DAS) in partnership with the state of Texas, Texas A&M University and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control.
Pham thanked her dog’s support team “for helping taking care of Bentley over the last 21 days, caring for him as if he was your own and showing America that passion and love is abundant and alive.”
She said the first thing she planned to do was to take Bentley to a pet store to pick out gifts for his second birthday, which is coming up later this month.
“I feel like Bentley reentering my life is another reminder of hope and encouragement for me moving forward, and fulfilling my life to the fullest with my best friend by my side again,” Pham told NBCDFW.com.
Mayor Rawlings also spoke during the press conference, thanking the team who cared for Bentley. After Pham was quarantined last month, the mayor told USA TODAY, “The dog’s very important to the patient and we want it to be safe.”
It’s really a shame that Madrid health officials didn’t have the same attitude as Rawlings. When Teresa Romero Ramos, a nurse’s aide there who, like Pham, contracted Ebola while treating a patient, officials euthanized her 12-year-old rescue dog, Excalibur, despite hundreds of thousands of pleas to spare his life.
Like Pham, Ramos is also now free of the virus — but heartbroken over the fact that her beloved dog was not there to greet her when she returned home.
OCT. 22, 2014 UPDATE: Bentley’s first test results show that he does not have Ebola, Dallas News reported this morning.
“Bentley will be monitored for a full 21-day period, similar to people exposed to the Ebola virus,” Dallas City Hall stated in a press release.
More good news: The condition of his dog mom, Nina Pham, has been upgraded from fair to good.
Starting today, Bentley, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belonging to Ebola patient Nina Pham of Dallas, will be periodically tested for signs of the virus.
Three times during his 21-day quarantine period, Bentley will be placed in a special kennel for the purpose of collecting urine and feces samples.
The remainder of the time, he’ll stay in his kennel inside a home at the decommissioned Hensley Field, a naval air base owned by the city. He has a comfortable bed and lots of donated toys to play with.
“This is the least invasive and safest way to conduct the testing process for Bentley,” the City of Dallas stated in a press release.
Bentley was taken from Pham’s apartment by Dallas Hazmat Oct. 11. Since then, he has been under the care of Dallas Animal Services (DAS) in partnership with the state of Texas, Texas A&M University and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control.
Pham, who is hospitalized at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, has been provided with regular updates from Bentley’s team.
“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 peoples lives,” Dr. Cate McManus, operations manager of DAS, said in the press release.
And hopefully Madrid health officials are keeping an eye on this case, so more dogs there won’t suffer the same fate as Excalibur, the rescue dog belonging to Teresa Romero Ramos, a nurse’s aide who, like Pham, contracted Ebola while treating a patient. (She is now free of the virus.)
Excalibur was euthanized two weeks ago, despite hundreds of thousands of requests to quarantine him instead. Officials insisted that “available scientific knowledge indicates there’s a risk the dog could transmit the deadly virus to humans.”
While it is possible for dogs to contract Ebola, there are no documented cases of them transmitting it to people. This is even less likely to occur in places (like Spain and the U.S.) where dogs aren’t usually around dead bodies and don’t eat infected animals, American Veterinary Medical Association spokeswoman Sharon Curtis Granskog told CBS News.
When it was discovered that Pham had a dog, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA TODAY, “This was a twist. The dog’s very important to the patient and we want it to be safe.”
To help cover the cost of Bentley’s care, as well as that of pets in similar emergency situations, the Dallas Pet Emergency Transition Services (PETS) fund has been established by the City of Dallas in partnership with the Dallas Companion Animal Project. To make a donation, click here.
Bentley, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belonging to Ebola patient Nina Pham of Dallas, is “bright and alert this morning. Looking good and happy to see us!” wrote Dallas Animal Services (DAS) today on its Facebook page.
Ever since he was taken by Dallas Hazmat from Pham’s apartment Monday, Bentley has been quarantined and monitored in a residence at the decommissioned Hensley Field, a naval air base owned by the city, according to CBS News. He has a comfortable bed and toys to play with.
Fortunately Bentley won’t suffer the same fate as Excalibur, the rescue dog belonging to an Ebola patient in Madrid. Despite hundreds of thousands of requests to quarantine the 12-year-old dog, Madrid health officials euthanized him last week, insisting that “available scientific knowledge indicates there’s a risk the dog could transmit the deadly virus to humans,” the Associated Press reported. (Just imagine the terror that poor old dog felt as strangers in hazmat suits entered his home, pinned him down and gave him the lethal injection.)
While it is possible for dogs to contract Ebola, there are no documented cases of them transmitting it to people. This is even less likely to occur in places (like Spain and the U.S.) where dogs aren’t usually around dead bodies and don’t eat infected animals, American Veterinary Medical Association spokeswoman Sharon Curtis Granskog told CBS News.
When it was discovered that Pham had a dog, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA TODAY, “This was a twist. The dog’s very important to the patient and we want it to be safe.”
Pham and her family are very grateful that Bentley’s life was spared. “DAS Operations Manager Dr. Cate McManus just got off the phone with Nina Pham,” DAS wrote on its Facebook page yesterday. “Nina thanked Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center for caring for Bentley and appreciated the peace of mind of knowing he was safe.”
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