The dog belonging to Spanish Ebola patient Teresa Romero Ramos, Excalibur, was put down by health authorities in Madrid.

Ebola Victim Dog Put Down

Health authorities sedated Ramos’ dog Excalibur prior to euthanizing it. Afterwards, the dog was transferred to a place where it would be cremated, reported CNN.

It was feared that Romero, a nurse’s assistant at Madrid’ds Carlos III hospital, could have potentially passed on the virus to her pet. If the dog did contract Ebola, there was a concern that it would spread the disease in a highly dangerous manner, similarly to other animals. Past studies have indicated that dogs can contract Ebola, but remain asymptomatic. Whether they can give it to humans has not been proven, but is possible.

"The only conclusion that may be safely drawn from this study is that the animals encountered Ebola virus (and their immune systems responded)," Margaret H. Gilbert, a clinical veterinarian and assistant professor of medicine at Tulane National Primate Research Center, told CNN of a study on the matter. "Whether or not dogs shed Ebola once their immune systems encounter it remains to be seen."

The study claims, “Asymptomatically infected dogs could be a potential source of human Ebola outbreaks.”

Romero is being treated at the Carlos III hospital and is in isolation. Her husband, who has yet to show any signs of Ebola, is being kept under observation at the hospital.