Spanish animal lovers lose fight to stop Ebola patient's dog from being euthanized

Spanish animal rights activists have lost their fight to save the life of a dog belonging to a nurse who contracted Ebola after government officials ordered the animal to be euthanized. The dog was put down Wednesday afternoon.

Teresa Romero became the first person to become infected with the virus after treating a priest who became ill in Sierra Leone. Romero and her husband are under quarantine in Madrid and Tuesday, Spanish authorities said their dog Excalibur would be euthanized to avoid any possible risk that the animal might spread the virus.

Wednesday, crowds of animal rights activists rallied outside the couple's apartment, where Excalibur could be seen on the apartment's balcony. Supporters have also taken the movement online; more than 375,000 people have signed a change.org petition asking the government to quarantine the dog rather than kill it. The hashtag #SalvemosaExcalibur, Spanish for "Let's save Excalibur," is trending on Twitter in Spain, with many pet owners posting photos of their own dogs.

In a post on the Facebook page of a Spanish animal rights organization, Javier Limon Romero wrote that he declined to consent to having the dog euthanized and added that before leaving for their apartment for the hospital, he left Excalibur with food and water.

Below is a translation of the post:

Government officials later obtained a court order authorizing the dog to be euthanized.