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This
week, the City of Dallas Animal Services is transitioning Bentley into a
special kennel periodically for the proper collection of his urine and feces
for monitoring and testing. He will only be placed in the special kennel during
the specimen collection – and returned to his normal kenneling and routine
immediately after the collection is completed. At this time, this specimen
collection process is only expected to happen three times within the remainder
of the quarantine period. This is the least invasive and safest way to conduct
the testing process for Bentley. Bentley will be monitored for a full 21-day
period, similar to people exposed to the Ebola virus.
The
City of Dallas Animal Services is overseeing Bentley’s care in partnership with
the state, Texas A&M University and the College of Veterinary Medicine
& Biomedical Sciences, the Texas Department of State Health Services
(DSHS), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC). Nina Pham, Bentley’s owner, continues to be cared for at
the National Institutes of Health, NIH, in Maryland. The City of Dallas and DAS are communicating updates to Nina on the testing throughout the process.
On
Saturday October 11, 2014 the City of Dallas Animal Services began what was
quickly to become one of the most publicized animal rescues in the world.
Dallas nurse Nina Pham was confirmed to have Ebola after caring for Thomas
Duncan, the country’s first diagnosed Ebola patient. After her care and
recovery, the next most important thing to Nina and her family was the safety
and health of her beloved companion, Bentley.
City
and county leaders recognized the strength of the human animal bond, and
mobilized to ensure the ability to monitor Bentley in a safe and humane environment
while in the City’s care.
Dallas
Animal Services Manager Jody Jones and Dr. Cate McManus have been coordinating
the logistics and care with the experts from state and national authorities.
The city, state and Texas A&M team has been following guidelines with
appropriate safety protocols being developed and refined by numerous experts. “Our
goal has been to provide the highest level of safety and care to both Bentley
and our community,” said Jones.
Specimen
collection will be conducted periodically beginning October 20, with a final
testing to be done at the conclusion of the 21-day quarantine period. “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,"
said Dr. McManus.
Please
click here for information about Dallas PETS (Pet Emergency Transition
Services) fund, created to raise money for the care of Bentley and other
pets in similar emergency situations in the future. Please follow Dallas Animal
Services on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates on Bentley.
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