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AVMA Announces New Guidelines on Ebola and Pets

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.

Photo via USA TODAY

Ebola-Free Dallas Nurse Finally Reunited with Her Dog

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.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who had been quarantined since Oct. 11, also shows no sign of the deadly virus.

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.

Photo via Twitter

Bentley Update: Ebola Patient’s Dog Enters Testing Phase

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.

Photos via Facebook

‘Bright and Alert’ Ebola Patient’s Dog Is Quarantined at Naval Air Base

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.)

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.”

Photo via Facebook

Dallas Ebola Patient’s Dog Won’t Be Euthanized, Mayor Says

OCT. 13, 2014 UPDATE: The Ebola patient has been identified as Nina Pham of Dallas. Her dog appears to be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Unlike Excalibur, an Ebola patient’s dog who, despite hundreds of thousands of protests, was euthanized in Madrid last week, a Dallas dog in a similar situation will be allowed to live.

The health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital — who is the first person to become infected with the deadly virus in the United States — is a dog mom.

“This was a new twist,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings told USA TODAY. “The dog’s very important to the patient and we want it to be safe.”

Before the patient’s apartment is decontaminated, Brad Smith, of the hazmat emergency response company CG Environmental, told USA TODAY he will work with the SPCA and Dallas animal control officials to remove (and likely quarantine) the dog.

“We’ll assist with that,” he said. “We have the (personal protection equipment) that needs to be worn.”

According to the Dallas Morning News, a hazmat team member entered the apartment early this evening, and gave the dog food and water. The dog has no signs of the virus.

While dogs in West Africa have tested positive for Ebola, there are no documented cases of dogs transmitting it to people.

Along with hundreds of thousands of protesters, Javier Limon Romero, the husband of the Ebola patient in Madrid, had urged officials not to kill their dog and to quarantine him instead. But Madrid health officials insisted that “available scientific knowledge indicates there’s a risk the dog could transmit the deadly virus to humans,” according to the Associated Press (AP).

“There’s prudence and then there’s, ‘Let’s kill it so we don’t have to think about it,'” wrote Dr. Scott Weese, of the Ontario Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, in the Worms & Germs Blog regarding the Excalibur’s euthanization. “The Spanish response to Ebola in a nursing assistant is a demonstration of the latter.”

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Thomas Skinner told the New York Times the center recommends that Ebola patients with dogs or cats should “’evaluate the animal’s risk of exposure” — seeing if the pet ingested bodily fluids from the patient, such as vomit, feces or blood. If so, the pet should be monitored for 21 days, which is the incubation period for Ebola.

Photo via USA TODAY