Pet lovers around the world have flooded social media with adorable pictures of their animals as part of an international campaign to save the dog at the centre of an Ebola row in Spain.

Twitter is awash with photographs of dogs, cats and birds which have been posted alongside the hashtag 'SalvemosAExcalibur' – which is Spanish for 'Let's save Excalibur'.

It comes after Spanish authorities threatened to put down the beloved pet of Spanish nurse Teresa Romero Ramos – who tested positive for Ebola earlier this week – amid fears the animal could spread the killer disease, The Daily Mail reports.

Ms Romero Ramos, 44, from Galicia in northwest Spain, who is one of the medical team that treated two repatriated Spanish priests who died from Ebola, has been in quarantine since it was confirmed she was carrying the virus.

Her husband Javier Limon Romero has also been quarantined over fears he may too have contracted the disease.

Armed police have been spotted outside the nurse's Madrid home in the suburb of Alcorcon, as curious members of the public gathered outside.

Their identities were released after Mr Romero asked a Spanish animal charity to start a social media campaign to stop health officials putting his dog down.

Officials in Madrid have now got a court order to euthanise the pet – called Excalibur – and the mixed-breed is scheduled to be put down overnight.

However, pet lovers around the world have desperately taken to Twitter in a bid to get the authorities to change their mind.

Hundreds of posts have been uploaded to the social network and it quickly became the top trending item on the site late last night.

As well as the social media campaign, thousands of people have also signed a petition in a bid to stop the dog being put down. Last night, more than 135,000 people had signed the online petition.