NBC News is reporting that Spanish officials have ordered the execution of the dog who lives with the nursing assistant who was recently diagnosed with Ebola.
A study published in 2005 shows that dogs can and do become infected with the Ebola virus – primarily by eating the meat of other infected animals or by eating the vomit of infected persons. (Sorry – there was no nice way to say that.) However, even dogs who had a high viral load remained asymptomatic in the study. Scientists think that dogs may be able to transmit the virus to humans in their saliva, although the connection between canine and human infections has not been proven.
You can sign a petition asking officials in Madrid to spare the dog on Change.org. It is written in Spanish, but I believe you can easily have it translate for free by Google.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!