This morning Nina Pham reunited with her beloved dog, Bentley. Nina was diagnosed with Ebola after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan as a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Doctors at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) treated Nina and she returned home cured one week ago. Vets were concerned that Bentley might have anxiety or depression if he saw Nina and could not go home, so she agreed to wait until the 21-day isolation period was over.
During the 21-day isolation period, vets sent two samples to a lab that consisted of feces, urine and blood samples. Both sets of samples tested negative for Ebola. Bentley’s isolation period ended at 2 a.m. today and by 8:30 this morning, he was back in Nina’s arms. The Pham family had an opportunity to personally thank everyone involved with Bentley’s care.
“I’m happy that Nina Pham has finally been reunited with her beloved dog Bentley,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings. “I join everyone in Dallas in welcoming Nina and Bentley back to the community, and I’d like to thank everyone who gave Bentley the best care possible while Nina was away, including Dallas Animal Services and their partner organizations as well as the dedicated City and County employees who were a tremendous help in this effort.”
Dallas Animal Services (DAS) managed Bentley’s care in partnership with the Texas Animal Health Commission, 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.
Nina wanted to share her emotional reunion with family, friends and those who helped care for Bentley. She is okay with us releasing some of the morning’s highlights to the public.
The City of Dallas is sharing HD video of their video around 6 p.m. tonight at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tffmsuNykk.
