Bentley, the dog of a Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola, is free of the disease, city officials said Wednesday.
Dallas Animal Services began collecting urine and stool samples this week from Nina Pham’s 1-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel. The first tests were free of the virus.
Pham and Bentley have been separated since she was put into isolation Oct. 10 at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas. She contracted the virus after treating Liberian native Thomas Eric Duncan at the hospital.
The 26-year-old was transferred last week to the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, where she is in good condition.
Bentley is being cared for at the Hensley Field Services Center, a former armed forces reserve base on West Jefferson Boulevard in southwest Dallas. He will remain there until early next month.
The dog will be monitored for a full 21-day period, similar to people exposed to the Ebola virus.
Dallas Animal Services is overseeing Bentley’s care with guidance from numerous other agencies, including the Texas Animal Health Commission and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Officials made the decision early on not to euthanize Bentley. In Spain, after nurse Teresa Romero was diagnosed with Ebola, her dog, Excalibur, was put down, causing a public uproar.
