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Dog
injuries, sicknesses and extreme stress
How can sick, injured or exhausted dogs love running?
Statistics tell sad stories
Lung
damage
Stomach Ulcers
Anemia-the dogs are tired
Dogs suffer from extreme stress
Kidney toxicity and kidney failure
Reduction of antioxidant levels
Airborne fecal material makes dogs sick
Dogs
foam from profuse sweat in freezing weather
Dogs have trouble sleeping in bitter cold
Broken teeth and legs
Dogs
commonly get sick
Dogs are more susceptible to illness in the winter
Contagious viruses spread at checkpoints
Mushers start race with sick dogs
Sick
dogs not responding to medicines
Many types of injuries and sicknesses
Mushers
force sick dogs to race
Dogs
face hypothermia and frostbite hazards
Warm
weather hazards and stresses for the dogs
Dogs
get sick from eating spoiled food
Damage to dogs may appear after race
Diminished repair of damaged connective tissue
Dogs
in pain prompt musher/physician to give up Iditarod
Dogs who vomit while racing are at high risk for illness and death
Dogs behind front-runners have
greater risk of getting sick
Dogs become dehydrated
Dogs refuse to eat
Iditarod wants dogs weakened
from sickness to keep racing
Harnesses
encourage sick or injured dogs to pull
Booties don't protect dogs' paws
How can sick, injured
or exhausted dogs love running?
Craig Medred, outdoors columnist for the Anchorage Daily News,
told Weekly Reader Current Events (3/3/06), "It's pretty hard to
imagine the enthusiasm these dogs have for racing...."
But dogs feel pain just like humans do. They are not machines.
How can dogs be enthusiastic about running when they're sick, injured
or exhausted?
Do you think these dog are enthusiastic about running in the Iditarod?
"Brutal winds and temperatures to 20 degrees below
zero were terrorizing those who hadn't yet made it through Rainy Pass."
"Wind chill temperatures were pushing down to 55 to 60 degrees below zero."
"Conditions were so grim dog teams hoping to continue down the Iditarod
Trail were having a hard time just getting out of this checkpoint Monday
night and early this morning. They struggled in the dark, wind and cold."
- Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 6, 2007
[Read the information on this page about frostbite.]
"'(The winds) literally picked your whole team up and threw them off the
trail.'"
- Musher Donald Smidt talking about the 2007 Iditarod
- Carlos Muñoz, Fond du Lac Reporter, December 30, 2007
Statistics
tell sad stories
Dogs who couldn't make it across Iditarod finish line:
| Year | Number of dogs starting race | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of dogs not finishing race | Percentage of dogs not finishing race |
| 2002 | 1,024 | 524 | 500 | 49% |
| 2003 | 1,024 | 381 | 643 | 63% |
| 2004 | 1,391 | 734 | 657 | 47% |
| 2005 | 1,264 | 585 | 679 | 54% |
| 2006 | 1,328 | 737 | 591 | 45% |
| 2007 | 1,308 | 564 | 744 | 57% |
Average percentage of dogs not finishing race from 2001 to 2006: 53%
[We are rarely told what happened to these dogs.]
Race officials encouraged injured musher to continue racing tired and
sick dogs:
"Coming into the Ruby checkpoint, 615 miles from
Anchorage and just under 500 from Nome, Madsen had just come through a
hard run along the Yukon. He and his team had endured miles of fighting
50 mph sustained winds with gust up to 75 mph. There were places the trail
was blown out.
Madsen was burned out, and the dogs were not rested. He knew they were
going slowly.
Some of the dogs had been sick with diarrhea and treated at a prior checkpoint.
They showed little spark after that.
Battling the winds, Madsen could practically see their body fat melting
off. Not only that, the sled hit a stump on the trail forcing Madsen's
upper body into the handles. An X-ray at a later checkpoint revealed a
rib broken in several places."
"After two or three hours of sleep, some food and a pep talk from race
officials, he felt he could go on." [Emphasis added]
- Kay Richardson, The Columbian, April 16, 2006
Dogs
who finished Iditarod with lung damage:
According to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory
and Critical Care Medicine in 2002, 81 percent of the dogs who finish
the Iditarod have lung damage.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of finishing dogs with lung damage |
| 2002 | 524 | 424 |
| 2003 | 381 | 309 |
| 2004 | 734 | 595 |
| 2005 | 585 | 474 |
| 2006 | 737 | 597 |
| 2007 | 564 | 457 |
- Statistics come from data on Iditarod website
Dogs who finshed Iditarod with ulcers or ulcerations:
According
to a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
in 2005, 61 percent of the dogs who finish the race have ulcers or ulcerations
compared to zero percent before the race.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of finishing dogs with ulcers or ulcerations |
| 2002 | 524 | 320 |
| 2003 | 381 | 232 |
| 2004 | 734 | 448 |
| 2005 | 585 | 357 |
| 2006 | 737 | 450 |
| 2007 | 564 | 344 |
- Statistics come from data on Iditarod website
Dogs
who finished Iditarod with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations:
Using
the above mentioned studies, each year from 42 percent to 61 percent of
the dogs finish the Iditarod with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number range of finishing dogs with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations (42% to 61%) |
| 2002 | 524 | 220 to 320 |
| 2003 | 381 | 160 to 232 |
| 2004 | 734 | 308 to 448 |
| 2005 | 585 | 246 to 357 |
| 2006 | 737 | 310 to 450 |
| 2007 | 564 | 237 to 344 |
81
percent of the dogs who finish the Iditarod have lung damage:
"To investigate, the team of researchers examined
the airways of 59 sled dogs 24 to 48 hours after they completed the long
and arduous race. Their findings are published in the September issue
of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers found that 81% of the canines had "abnormal accumulations"
of mucus or cellular debris in their lower airways. This accumulation
was classified as moderate to severe in nearly half of the animals, according
to the report. There was no evidence that the lung damage could be due
to bacterial infection, the authors note. Instead, they say, it was likely
caused by cooling and drying out of peripheral airway passages, resulting
in injury and inflammation."
- Reuters Health,Tue Oct 8, 2002, 2:17 PM ET
Airway dysfunction persists despite 4 months of rest:
"CONCLUSIONS:
Racing Alaskan sled dogs have airway dysfunction similar to 'ski asthma'
that persists despite having 4 months of rest. These findings suggest
that repeated exercise in cold conditions can lead to airway disease that
does not readily resolve with cessation of exercise."
- Davis M, Williamson K, McKenzie E, Royer C, Payton
M, Nelson S., "Effect of training and rest on respiratory mechanical properties
in racing sled dogs." Medicine and science in sports and exercise,
2005 Feb;37(2):337-41 on PubMed website.
Serious stomach ulcers from racing as little as 100 miles:
"I reviewed a recent study about gastrointestinal
damage resulting from training and racing sled dogs which appeared in
a well-respected veterinary journal. Two of the more interesting conclusions presented
were:
Training alone, without the additional stress of racing, results in significant,
measurable gastrointestinal damage.
and
Serious stomach ulcers and other significant, measurable gastrointestinal
damage results from racing as little as 100 miles."
- Dr. Paula Kislak, DVM, President, Association of Veterinarians for Animals
Rights
- Email to the Sled Dog Action Coalition on December 17, 2006
Stories of dogs with stomach ulcers:
"But
the dog [Mark] was in bad shape. He was dehydrated and hypothermic. His
gums were white, indicating anemia and possible shock, [Lannie] Hamilton
said."
"A few minutes after the vets administered the IV, Mark vomited three
liters of blood. Hamilton said that was an indication the dog likely had
a bleeding stomach ulcer."
- Lannie Hamilton is a veterinarian in Wasilla,
AK
- Mark is one of DeeDee Jonrowe's dogs
- Paula Dobbyn, Anchorage Daily News, March 13, 2002
"I
had a dog that was just doing this horrible, projectile vomiting. It turned
out it was an ulcer."
-
Diana Dronenburg Moroney, Iditarod musher
-
Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press,
2004
Jonrowe's dog Mark dies from surgery to repair his ulcer:
"The Iditarod Trail Committee was notified
today by Musher Dee Dee Jonrowe that her lead dog Mark died during surgery
to repair a stomach ulcer."
-
Iditarod Race Advisory, Iditarod website, March 15, 2002
-
Dan, a 3 year old dog dies; ulcers are found in his stomach:
"Race officials said preliminary
findings of a necropsy performed on the 3-year-old male named Dan showed
fluid in the lungs."
-
Associated Press, March 12, 2001
"Preliminary aspects of the necropsy have been
completed on Dan..."
"The
dog's death was determined to have been caused by pulmonary edema, or
fluid in the lungs. The only other significant abnormalities observed
included a decrease in esophageal and gastric (stomach) muscle tone combined
with gastric ulcerations."
- Iditarod website, March 10, 2001
Backen's
dog dies from blood loss associated with ulcers:
Preliminary findings of a necropsy indicate the
7-year-old male [Takk] died of blood loss associated with gastric ulcers,
according to race officials.
- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 16, 2004
Dr Jim Lanier's dog Cupid dies from ulcers:
"The gross necropsy performed on Cupid, a 4 year
old female from the team of Jim Lanier's that died on March 12 has been
completed. The cause of death appears likely to be the result of regurgitation
and aspiration, secondary to the presence of gastric ulcers."
- Iditarod Advisory Update, Iditarod website, March 13, 2006
Ken Anderson's dog has a bleeding ulcer:
"It was pretty scary. He had a bleeding ulcer. I've
never seen that before. I stopped and he vomited a big pool of blood."
- Ken Anderson talking about his sick dog
- Interview with Gabriel Spitzer, Alaska Public Radio Network, website,
March 9, 2006
Karen Ramstead's dog Snickers died from acute hemorrhage due to a gastric
ulcer:
"A gross necropsy was performed on Snickers, a six and a half year
old female in the team of Karen Ramstead. Preliminary indications showed
that Snickers expired as a result of and acute hemorrhage due to a gastric
ulcer."
- Iditarod Advisory, Iditarod website, March 14, 2006
Other dogs who died from having ulcers
High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs:
"A pilot study of dogs that were either dropped
from the 2000 Iditarod Sled Dog Race because of illness or that finished
the race indicated that, approximately 5 days after competing, 10 of 28
dogs (35%) had endoscopic evidence of gastric ulceration, erosion, or
hemorrhage. The next year, an endoscopic study of 73 dogs participating
in the 2001 Iditarod race was performed in order to evaluate a larger
population of dogs. Data from 70 of these dogs could be used; 34 (48.5%)
had ulceration, erosion, gastric hemorrhage, or some combination of these
findings. When this group of 70 dogs was compared retrospectively to a
control group of 87 dogs presented to the Texas A&M University (TAMU)
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the Iditarod sled dogs had a significantly
higher prevalence (P = .049) of gastric lesions."
- Davis MS, Willard MD, Nelson SL, Mandsager RE, McKiernan BS, Mansell
JK, Lehenbauer TW, "Prevalence of gastric lesions in racing Alaskan sled
dogs." Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2003 May-Jun;17(3):311-4,
article abstract on National Library of Medicine website
- Erosion is "an eating away, destruction
of the surface of a tissue, material or structure."
- On-line Medical dictionary
- "P" means P-value, which
is "the probability (ranging from zero to one) that the results observed
in a study (or results more extreme) could have occurred by chance. Convention
is that we accept a p value of 0.05 or below as being statistically significant."
- Bandolier, a journal about evidence-based healthcare, written
by Oxford scientists, website article
- High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs caused by NSAIDs:
Many Iditarod dogs have gastric ulcers and some
have died from this condition. Ulcers predispose the dogs to vomiting.
Normally, the trachea closes the airway so that foreign material does
not enter the lungs. But because these dogs run at such high speeds for
such a long period of time, they cannot stop gasping for air despite the
vomiting. Consequently, dogs inhale the vomit into their lungs which causes
suffocation and death.
According to Michael Matz, a highly regarded expert in gastrointestinal
disorders in small animals, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) is the most common cause of gastrointestinal ulceration
in small animals (Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XII- Small Animal
Practice). Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen are just some of the NSAIDs that
cause ulcers. These drugs reduce swelling, inflammation, relieve pain
and fever, which allows the dogs to run farther and faster. Unfortunately,
some dogs pay with their lives for the use
of these drugs.
- High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs caused
by stress:
Andrea Floyd-Wilson: "What are they thinking
is the cause that these dogs are getting, and it really seems like a very
high number of them do get ulcers?"
Dr. Paula Kislak: "That's correct. And it's almost universally known
to be as a result of the amount of stress that they endure and the medication
they're given. Just like people under extreme stress develop ulcers. This
is the exact same etiology or cause in these dogs as well."
-
On February 23, 2003, Andrea Floyd-Wilson, the host of All About Animals
Radio Show, interviewed Margery Glickman, Director of the Sled Dog Action
Coalition, and Paula Kislak, DVM, President of the Association of Veterinarians
for Animal Rights.
- Sustained strenuous exercise associated
with 61 percent ulcer rate postrace compared to zero percent prerace:
"Sustained strenuous exercise
was associated with an increased frequency of gastric erosions or ulcerations
seen endoscopically (0% prerace versus 61% postrace). A significant
postrace increase occurred in the median lactulose to rhamnose ratio in
both serum and urine (0.11 versus 0.165, P = .0363; 0.11 versus 0.165,
P = .0090, respectively). No significant differences were found in median
serum or urinary sucrose concentrations when pre- and postrace values
were compared. No correlation was found between visible gastric lesions
and the concentration of sucrose in serum or urine samples obtained 4-5
hours after administration of the sugar solutions. We conclude that sustained
strenuous exercise is associated with increased intestinal permeability,
but the sucrose permeability test as we performed it did not correlate
with visible gastric lesions."
- Davis MS, Willard MD, Williamson
KK, Steiner JM, Williams DA. "Sustained strenuous exercise increases intestinal
permeability in racing Alaskan sled dogs." Journal of Veterinary Internal
Medicine 2005 Jan-Feb;19(1):34-9, article
abstract on National Library of Medicine website
[The sucrose permeability test is used to detect
ulcerations in dogs.]
[Increased intestinal permeablity also known as
Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) results from an overly-permeable
intestinal lining with spaces between the cells of the gut wall. These
spaces allow “foreign” material (bacteria, toxins and food) to leak into
the body where they should not be, placing an additional burden on the
immune and detoxification systems.]
Dogs suffer from anemia (the dogs are tired)
Enzymatic and electrolyte imbalances create
anemia:
"There are all kinds of enzymatic
and electrolyte imbalances that create a decreased ability to form connective
which is very important in repairing the damage done during the races.
It also creates anemia."
-
Dr. Paula Kislak, DVM, president of the Association of Veterinarians for
Animal Rights
- - Her remarks were made on the Animal Voices radio show, Toronto, Canada
on February 28, 2006
"A race lasting 12-15 d[days]
depressed activities for both plasma ceruloplasmin and erythrocyte superoxide
dismutase in dogs consuming commercial dog foods and meats. A shorter,
3-d[day] training run for dogs fed a commercial balanced diet also depressed
ceruloplasmin activities but not superoxide dismutase activities. Dogs
fed the same diet but that did not run showed no changes in either parameter.
Activities of a third copper enzyme, plasma diamine oxidase, also decreased
after a 3-d[day] training run. In summary, blood activities of three
copper enzymes were depressed by sustained strenuous exercise in sled
dogs.
- DiSilvestro RA, Hinchcliff
KW, Blostein-Fujiia. "Sustained strenuous exercise in sled dogs depresses
three blood copper enzyme activities." Biological Trace Element Research.
2005 Summer;105(1-3):87-96
Anemia is a sign of copper deficiency:
According to the National Academy
of Sciences Board on Agriculture & Natural Resources, copper is a helper
in enzymatic reactions. "The function of copper includes: Connective
tissue formation; iron metabolism; blood cell formation; melanin pigment
formation; myelin formation; defense against oxidative damage. Anemia
is a sign of a copper deficiency."
- Board on Agriculture & Natural Resources,
National Academy of Sciences, website, 2005
Exhausted dogs may rather sleep than eat:
"Iditarod dogs have to consume enormous
amounts of food during the course of the race. Recent studies have shown
that a 50-pound sled dog can burn more than 10,000 calories a day while
distance racing.
Yet, after running for six-hour stretches, if a dog’s dinner isn’t extremely
enticing, they may decide to curl up and sleep rather than eat, and once
that happens it’s the beginning of the end for that mushers chances of
making it all the way."
- Joseph Robertia, Kenai Peninsula, March 5, 2006
Dogs suffer from extreme stress
Cortisol levels elevated by as much
as 900 percent:
"A recently published study out of the Ohio State
University clearly demonstrated the stressful conditions under which sled
dogs labor. The researchers measured cortisol which is widely recognized
as the major hormone that is released from the adrenal glands in response
to extreme stress. They found that in dogs who raced as few as 260 miles,
the cortisol levels were elevated by as much as 900 percent! At levels
of just a fraction of these, serious complications that degrade a dog's
immune system and deteriorate his overall health are know to regularly
occur."
- Dr. Paula Kislak, DVM, President of the Association
of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, email to the Sled Dog Action Coaliton
on March 1, 2007
Study in 2004: dogs stressed after 500 miles:
"'Dogs get sick, especially because of stress,'" [Manjo] Pastey said.
'Without globulins, they can't fight diseases and they could pass them
onto other dogs in the race. The lower the globulins, the worse it is.'
The new project stems from a previous 2004 research endeavor which featured
running dogs in a simulated 500-mile race. One notable finding of the
study was a significant decrease in the dog's blood globulin levels during
the event."
"'Sled dogs have comparatively low globulin levels during training, and
those levels fall considerably during racing,' [Erica] McKenzie said in
a press release."
- Professor Manjo Pastey and Professor Erica McKenzie
are working on a study based upon the 2004 research findings. Both are
associated with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University.
- Katie Thorn, The
Daily Barometer, March
9, 2007
Sleep deprivation causes extreme stress:
Margery Glickman: "Dogs
like to sleep a lot. And, maybe Dr. Kislak would like to speak about it.
My understanding is that the average dog likes to sleep anywhere from
14 to 18 hours a day."
Dr. Paula Kislak: "Yes,
that's correct. If we are going all the way back into the instinctual
behavior of dogs, they sleep all day and hunt for maybe two to four, maximum
six hours in the evening. The rest of the time is spent in the cave cleaning
and sleeping. I certainly have found in my practice and with my own animals
that that's probably an overestimation of the amount of time they'd really
like to be sleeping. They'd really like to be sleeping much more, obviously,
since they don't have to hunt. They'll typically sleep anywhere from 14
to 20 hours in a day. Which brings up the point that when the musher is
sleeping [while the dogs race], of course, the dogs are not able to sleep.
Not only does that create extreme stress and exertion on the dogs, but,
also leads to accidents where the dogs do get strangled by the towlines
and gouged by the sleds. It's completely irresponsible behavior."
- On February 23, 2003, Andrea Floyd-Wilson, the
host of All About Animals Radio Show, interviewed Margery Glickman, Director
of the Sled Dog Action Coalition, and Paula Kislak, DVM, President of
the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights.
"Runyan's
thinking was that if the teams did their 24-hour rests there [at the Ruby
checkpoint], they would be able resume the race with so much energy restored
that they could catch any teams that might pass during the layover. The
strategy didn't work. Runyan took so much out of his dogs that they ended
up getting sick."
-
Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 12, 2004
Stress
causes dog to lose fur:
"The
McGrath vet blamed Rock's hair loss on stress." "Rock was shivering
under her thinning coat, putting the dog at risk if the weather turned
bad."
-
O'Donoghue, Brain Patrick. My Lead Dog was a Lesbian, New York:
Vintage Books, 1996
- O'Donoghue was a reporter
with the Fairbanks News-Miner
Stress causes vomiting and diarrhea:
"The
inherently stressful conditions of endurance races like the Iditarod predispose
dogs to vomit and
and
have diarrhea while racing."
-
Dr. Paula Kislak, President of the
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, September 7, 2004 email
to the Sled Dog Action Coalition
Kidney toxicity and kidney failure
Dogs at greater risk for kidney toxicity
and kidney failure:
"Exercise
is associated with an increase in the production of oxidants that may
be instrumental in the development of exertional rhabdomyolysis."
- Hinchcliff KW, Constable PD, DiSilvestro, RA, "Muscle injury and antioxidant
status in sled dogs competing in a long-distance sled dog race." Equine
and Comparative Exercise Physiology, Vol 1, Number 1, February 2004,
pp 81-85
"Exertional
rhabdomyolysis occurs when exercise, often of the eccentric type, damages
myofibrils and sarcolemma, with release of the enzyme creatine kinase
and pigmented myoglobin into the serum. Severe muscle soreness and dark
urine are the hallmark symptoms, and renal failure may develop."
-
Hammer R, South Med Journal, May 1990 (5): 548-51
"Exertional rhabdomyolysis is known to cause a form
of kidney toxicity and subsequent failure."
- Dr. Paula Kislak, DVM, President, Association of Veterinarians for Animal
Rights, email to the Sled Dog Action Coalition, May 24, 2007
Reduction of
antioxidant levels
Racing
reduces a dog's level of antioxidants:
"We
conclude that completion of a long-distance sled dog race involving prolonged
and repeated submaximal exercise results in a reduction in enzymatic antioxidant
activity in the blood of sled dogs."
- Hinchcliff KW, Constable PD, DiSilvestro, RA,
"Muscle injury and antioxidant status in sled dogs competing in a long-distance
sled dog race." Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology, Vol
1, Number 1, February 2004, pp 81-85
What are antioxidants?
"Antioxidants
protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.
Many experts believe this damage is a factor in the development of blood
vessel disease (atherosclerosis), cancer, and other conditions."
-
Webmd website article, May 24, 2007
Airborne fecal material
makes dogs sick
"The inherently stressful conditions of endurance races like the
Iditarod predispose dogs to vomit and have diarrhea while racing. Loose
fecal material flying into the faces of dogs behind induces serious occular,
respiratory and gastrointestinal infections with such virulent organisms
as E. coli and Salmonella."
- Dr. Paula Kislak,
President of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, September
7, 2004 email to the Sled Dog Action Coalition
Dogs foam from profuse
sweat in freezing weather
"[Ramy]
Brooks came in at 5:10 p.m., his dogs looking tired and lathered."
[From the Sled Dog Action Coalition: According to
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, lathered means "foam or froth from profuse
sweat."]
- Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March 12, 2002
Dogs have trouble sleeping in bitter cold
"When they got to Cripple to take their 24-hour break, the thermometer
plunged to 50 degrees below zero. That made it more difficult for Swingley
and his dogs to get a long, comfortable rest...."
- Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 16, 2006
Back to the top
Broken tooth and leg
"Weasel
has a broken tooth and has very sore feet."
- Bowers, Don. Back of the Pack, Anchorage: Publication Consultants,
2000
"Norwegian Sven Engholm is reported to have
run into a moose on the trail. One of his dogs has a broken leg."
- Alaska Public Radio Network, 1996 Iditarod audio files
Outdoor
Life Network Announcer: "One
of Buser's dogs has a broken leg."
- Outdoor Life Network (OLN), Nikolai checkpoint, Iditarod, 2005
Dogs commonly get sick
"
Some [mushers] were also fretting over dogs beginning to catch the inevitable
stomach bugs."
-
Jon Little, Cabelas website, March 8, 2004
- Little
was a reporter with the Anchorage Daily News and was and Iditarod
musher
"Many
mushers are reporting that their dogs are ill from tainted food or other
causes, not an uncommon occurrence."
- Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March
7, 2002
"[Arne
Oddvar] Nilsen said, ...Bedding down where other teams have been before
is increasing the risk of being infected."
-
Nilsen discussing musher Sorlie's main concern of avoiding his dogs getting
any gastric infection from other teams
- Nilsen
is a member of the board of the 1,000-kilometer Finnmarkslopet
- Craig
Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 7, 2003
"'My
dogs always get sick. It just seems I can't get it right on the Iditarod,'
[Hans]
Gatt said."
- Maureen Clark, Associated Press, March 6, 2002
"'Linwood's just had sick dogs, " Kathy
Fiedler said."
- Kathy Fiedler talking about her husband's
sick dogs
- Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 9, 2002
"The former Wisconsin resident [Todd
Capistrant] who moved to Alaska this year scratched in 2003 when his dogs
got sick with vomiting and diarrhea."
-
Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 7, 2004
"One
of the factors in a long distance race is doggy diarrhea. Every year,
there is some new stomach bug that circulates through the dog teams. It
can't be helped with 79 dog teams converging on one narrow trail from
all over the world. This year is no exception."
- Jon Little, Cabela's website, March 9, 2005
Little formerly wrote for the Anchorage Daily News
Dogs get sick from racing as little as
500 miles:
"'Dogs
get sick, especially because of stress,'" [Manjo] Pastey said. 'Without
globulins, they can't fight diseases and they could pass them onto other
dogs in the race. The lower the globulins, the worse it is.'
The new project stems from a previous 2004 research endeavor which featured
running dogs in a simulated 500-mile race. One notable finding of the
study was a significant decrease in the dog's blood globulin levels during
the event."
"'Sled dogs have comparatively low globulin levels during training, and
those levels fall considerably during racing,' [Erica] McKenzie said in
a press release."
- Professor Manjo Pastey and Professor Erica McKenzie are working on a
study based upon the 2004 research findings. Both are associated with
the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University.
- Katie Thorn, The Daily Barometer, March 9, 2007
Dogs are more susceptible to illness in the winter
"In
the wintertime, dogs are more susceptible to illness."
-
Article by Petplace.com veterinarians, Petplace.com website, October,
2003
"Like
people, animals seem to be more susceptible to illness in the winter."
- Oak Ridge Humane Society, ASPCA article, Oak Ridge Humane Society website,
2003
"Like
people, dogs and cats are more susceptible to illnesses in the winter."
- Charles E. Brown, The Seattle Times, January
10, 2007
Contagious viruses spread at checkpoints
"[Rodney] Whaley's team, which had dropped from
16 to 13 dogs, became ill near the halfway point of the race. He suspects
the dogs picked up a virus after reaching Ophir, the 11th of 23 checkpoints."
- Mike Organ, Gannett Tennessee, The Daily News
Journal, March 13, 2008
"Another
checkpoint complication is canine virus. Like children bringing home sickness
from school, dogs from one part of the state (or from other states) may
become ill when exposed to new viruses as they congregate."
- Hood, Mary. A Fan's Guide to the Iditarod,
Loveland: Alpine Publications, 1996
"Many mushers in the back of the Iditarod pack
have reported sick dogs. Veterinarians say it is easy for an infection
to get passed because so many of the teams camp and feed in the same areas
at checkpoints."
- Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News,
March 11, 2003
Mushers start race with sick dogs
"He
[veterinarian Terry Adkins] saw very little diarrhea along the trial from
the ceremonial start Saturday, he said, adding though that John Barron
of Helmville told him his dogs had it. Loose stools are a sign of ill
health. Sled dogs relieve their bowels on the run."
[From the Sled Dog Action Coalition: Because the dogs "relieve their bowels
on the run," it is likely that the dogs running in back of those who were
stricken with diarrhea inhaled this fecal material. The bacterial material
it contains could cause infection and death. Sick dogs should be pulled
out of the race.]
-
Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March 4, 2002
"Alto, one of my experienced
leaders and especially important to the team started to slow with his
head low. He was in obvious distress. Only 5 miles from the start I had
to stop and put him in the sled bag with severe stomach cramps. He was
very sick."
"I had Alto checked by the vets in Yenta.... But when the vet checked
him, she noticed he couldn't stand without hunching his back. We surmised
that he may have been accidentally poisoned, perhaps automotive coolant
leaked where he could reach it."
- James Warren, Iditarod '06 Journal, published on the Internet
"One
of his dogs caught a virus three days before the start and it went dog-to-dog
through his team through the first two-thirds of the race, he [John Barron]
said."
- Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March
14, 2002
"Zirkle,
of Two Rivers, limped along the trail Tuesday morning with an ailing dog
team. A few of her dogs got sick just before the race, and the bug has
spread through her entire team she said."
-
Aliy Zirkle, musher in 2001 Iditarod
- Elizabeth Manning, Anchorage Daily News, March 8, 2001
"Two of his [Bartlett's] veteran dogs were
unable to keep running." "Bartlett suspects the dogs were suffering
from a virus. They had not wanted to eat since the ceremonial start Saturday
in Anchorage...."
- Rachel D'Oro, Associated Press, Wednesday, March 5, 2003
[In 2003, the Iditarod restart was in Fairbanks on Monday, March 3, two
days after the Anchorage ceremonial start. According to the AP report,
Barlett's dogs raced for at least three days even though they were too
sick to eat.]
"One dog had a cough the day the race started
and that illness spread through the team, he said."
- Terry Adkins, DVM, discussing musher Karen Land's dogs
- Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March 8, 2003
"Even on Fourth Avenue [in Anchorage] I had
two dogs coughing." We spent the night in Wasilla, and there were
five dogs coughing and hacking."
- Aliy Zirkle, Iditarod musher
- Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press, 2004
"Jim, March 3: The dogs are feeling pretty poorly.
Some are not eating with what looks to be some kind of intestinal bug."
- Jim Warren talking about his dogs before the March 6 start of the 2004
Iditarod.
- Warren, James and Warren, Christopher. Following My Father's Dream,
James and Christopher Warren, 2005
Sick
dogs not responding to medicines
Susan Butcher's dogs not helped by medications:
"Not
so lucky was the trail virus picked up by her dogs, who were not responding
to the veterinarians' medicines."
- Author Ellen Dolan talking about musher Susan
Butcher's dogs
- Dolan, Ellen. Susan Butcher and the Iditarod Trail, New York:
Walker Publishing Co., 1993
Paul
Ellering's team not helped by medication and ran 226 miles with diarrhea:
"Looking over the team, I saw the dogs had picked
up an intestinal bug. They had the runs, and it was not the kind of running
that gets you anywhere."
(Paul Ellering was at the Galena checkpoint.)
"The diarrhea had taken the spark out of the team."
"I hoped the medicine the vets gave me would work...."
(Paul Ellering was at the Nulato checkpoint.)
"I wanted to give the dogs six hours of rest because
of the diarrhea problem that still had a grip on the team."
(Paul Ellering was at the Shaktoolik checkpoint.)
- Paul Ellering. Wrestling the Iditarod, Bend: Maverick Publications,
2005
(There is 226 miles between the Galena and Shaktoolik checkpoints. Ellering
doesn't say if or when the diarrhea stopped.)
Rachael Scdoris's sick dogs don't respond to medicine:
"It was obvious from the thinness of the dogs, but the veterinarian
was trying to make conversation and asked if the diarrhea medicine had
helped. I was honest"
"'I haven't been able to keep weight on them, not since Takotna. That's
when the diarrhea started getting bad and they began losing weight. Until
now they've eaten pretty well, but it doesn't matter how much they eat,
or how much fat I pump into them, it all goes straight through their systems.'"
- Rachael Scdoris talking about her sick dogs
- Scdoris, Rachael and Steber, Rick. No End in Sight:
My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer, New York: St. Martin's Griffin,
2007
Many
types of injuries and sicknesses
"Among
injuries that may befall a sled dog are generalized crippling, localized
crippling, muscle or tendon tears, disc syndrome, cramping, dislocations,
fractures, ice balling broken toenails, worn toenails, worn or torn footpads
and dehydration. Viruses may also strike a team."
- Mattson, Sue. Iditarod Fact Book, Seattle: Epicenter Press, 2001
Dogs have diarrhea:
--Fresh blood not uncommon
in dog's diarrhea:
"Anecdotally,
diarrhea is a commonly reported condition in racing sled dogs, and hematochezia
(fresh blood) in such stools is not uncommon. Hematochezia suggests the
presence of colonic disease."
Michael Davis, et al., Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine,
Volume 20 (2006)
"The
dogs lay right down, although a few are still standing, stuggling with
hemorraghic diarrhea."
- Runyan, Joe. Winning Strategies for Distance
Mushers, Sacramento: Griffin Printing Co.,1997
- Joe Runyan reported on the Iditarod for Iditarod sponsor Cabela's Incorporated
- Runyan is talking about Doug Swingley's dogs.
--Many
dogs get diarrhea:
"One
of the factors in a long distance race is doggy diarrhea. Every year,
there is some new stomach bug that circulates through the dog teams. It
can't be helped with 79 dog teams converging on one narrow trail from
all over the world. This year is no exception.
Diarrhea has forced several teams to pull over for their 24-hour layovers
earlier than anticipated. One of them is Mike Williams, who stopped at
McGrath for a layover for the first time in 12 years of racing. Despite
having sick dogs and hitting a tree headfirst earlier in the race, Williams
was in remarkably high spirits."
-
Jon Little, Cabela's website, March 9, 2005
Little formerly wrote for the Anchorage Daily News
"It
was obvious from the thinness of the dogs, but the veterinarian was trying
to make conversation and asked if the diarrhea medicine had helped. I
was honest"
"'I haven't been able to keep weight on them, not since Takotna. That's
when the diarrhea started getting bad and they began losing weight. Until
now they've eaten pretty well, but it doesn't matter how much they eat,
or how much fat I pump into them, it all goes straight through their systems.'"
- Rachael Scdoris talking about her dogs being sick
- Scdoris, Rachael and Steber, Rick. No End in Sight: My Life as a
Blind Iditarod Racer, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007
"Many
of his dogs [Greg Parvin] were stricken with diarrhea early on...."
-
Rachael D'Oro, Associated Press, March 12, 2005
"'I've got four sick dogs,' he said. 'Make that five,' as another one
squatted and [Chad] Schouweiler observed its output. Diarrhea."
- Jon Little, Cabela's Iditarod Coverage, Cabela's
website, 2006
- Jon Little formerly wrote for the Anchorage Daily News.
"...She
[Aliy Zirkle] was disheartened to see that some of her dogs started getting
diarrhea."
- Jon Little, Cabela's Iditarod Coverage, Cabela's
website, March 17, 2006
- Jon Little formerly wrote for the Anchorage Daily News.
'"Some
of the dogs had been sick with diarrhea and treated at a prior checkpoint.
They showed little spark after that."
- Kay Richardson, The Columbian, April 16,
2006
- She is talking about the dogs that belong to Steve Madsen
McGrath checkpoint person near Steer's dogs: "Do
you have any meds on you?"
Musher Zack Steer: "Yeah, they're all medicated."
- KTUU website video taken March 6, 2007
[The video showed pools of fresh diarrhea under
Steer's dogs.]
"And two-time champion Robert Sorlie of Norway, lagging much of the race
with dogs suffering from diarrhea...."
- Anchorage Daily News, March 10, 2007
Paul Ellering's team not helped by medicine and ran 226 miles with
diarrhea:
"Looking over the team, I saw the dogs had picked
up an intestinal bug. They had the runs, and it was not the kind of running
that gets you anywhere."
(Paul Ellering was at the Galena checkpoint.)
"The diarrhea had taken the spark out of the team."
"I hoped the medicine the vets gave me would work...."
(Paul Ellering was at the Nulato checkpoint.)
"I wanted to give the dogs six hours of rest because
of the diarrhea problem that still had a grip on the team."
(Paul Ellering was at the Shaktoolik checkpoint.)
- Paul Ellering. Wrestling the Iditarod, Bend: Maverick Publications,
2005
(There is 226 miles between the Galena and Shaktoolik checkpoints. Ellering
doesn't say if or when the diarrhea stopped.)
Dog
coughs up blood:
"'He just stopped pulling,'' said the 56-year-old
physician who specializes in infectious diseases. 'He's one of my best
pullers too. (Then) he was coughing up blood. Some dogs, when they feel
ill, cough food, water and blood. This was just blood.'"
- Craig Medred and Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 13,
2006
Pneumonia:
"Veterinarians thought Zorro had pneumonia; blood
tests confirmed it."
- Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 15, 2007
Virus:
"[Rodney] Whaley's team, which had dropped from
16 to 13 dogs, became ill near the halfway point of the race. He suspects
the dogs picked up a virus after reaching Ophir, the 11th of 23 checkpoints."
- Mike Organ, Gannett Tennessee, The Daily News Journal, March
13, 2008
Dog fights injure dogs:
Lance Mackey's dogs--
"In the hours before the race began, however,
Mackey had to break up a scuffle between two of his stalwarts, Larry and
Hobo.
'Larry looks like he's aged in the last week because of it,' Mackey said.
'He's got battle scars all over his nose. Hobo's got a few little puncture
wounds up and down his forearm, which was unfortunate and something of
concern.'"
- Mike Campbell, Anchorage Daily News, March 4, 2008
Tom Roig's dogs--
"'Tom Roig! Tom Roig! Is Tom Roig here?' a man
yelled, bursting through the door of the cabin. 'You have a dog fight
going on down there. They've been fighting for half an hour. There's blood
all over the place.'
At minus 25 degrees, Roig couldn't simply put on a pair of slippers and
run outdoors to check on the dogs. Hurriedly, he bundled up and ran to
his pups. They were calm and lying down. But Jughead, one of his lead
huskies, had a puncture wound on his leg and two other dogs had nasty
gashes on their foreheads. And, just as the stranger said, the snow was
splattered with blood."
- Kim Hone-McMahan, The Akron Beacon Journal, April 15, 2007
Martin Buser's dogs--
"Buser
had to drop a key leader named Marlin after the dogs was injured in a
fight. "
"'He wasn't using his (right rear) leg,' said veterinarian Harvey Goho
from North Carolina."
- Craig Medred and Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 11,
2007
Bruce Linton's dogs--
"...Before I was able to get out of my sleeping
bag and to the dogs they snapped at each other and one had a puncture
wound in his leg."
- Iditarod musher Bruce Linton, "Bruce's Journal - Part I, " Burlington
Free Press website, March 26, 2007
DeeDee Jonrowe's dogs--
"[DeeDee] Jonrowe, meanwhile said she had her hands
full with a feisty lead dog named Bristol."
"'She's so happy to be on the coast that she's getting sassy and
biting the dog next to her, said Jonrowe.'"
- Tim Murray, Anchorage Daily News, March 15, 1993
Dan Dent's dogs---
"The
dog named Storm stumbled. Puker - Storm's teammate on the the gangline
- snarled and grabbed (Storm) with his teeth."
"Half the team was snarling and snapping to get a piece of Storm. Blood started to fly."
- Musher Dan Dent discussing his team's dog fight in the 1999 Iditarod
-
Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 10, 1999
Don
Bower's dogs--
"Worse, the big males are fighting and before
I can get them separated, Silvertip has cut Yankee's eye and normally
docile Socks has gotten Rocky's muzzle so badly the indestructible Rock
is snorting blood."
- Bowers, Don. Back of the Pack, Anchorage:
Publication Consultants, 2000
Brian Patrick O'Donoghue's dogs--
"I heard a quick growl, then the other dogs
turned on Denali as a group, fangs bared, and began tearing into him from
every side."
- O'Donoghue, Brain Patrick. My Lead Dog was
a Lesbian, New York: Vintage Books, 1996
- O'Donoghue was a reporter for the Fairbanks
News-Miner and raced in the Iditarod
Gary Paulsen's dogs--
"It was a nightmare. The whole crazy night
turning teams, stopping [dog] fights...."
- Paulsen, Gary, Woodsong. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company,
1990
Lisa
Frederic's dogs--
"Coco
had only been added to my team the night before we left Anchorage. Reno
had been bitten in the parking lot. It wasn't serious, but I had made
him lame and regrettably I decided to replace him with Coco."
"Shuman, my muscled wheel dog, had picked another fight that had left
him with a puncture in his front leg."
- Lisa Frederic. Running with Champions, Anchorage: Alaska Northwest
Books, 2006
James Warren's dogs--
"My leaders were tired and crabby and were fighting with each other."
- Warren, James and Warren, Christopher. Following
My Father's Dream, James and Christopher Warren, 2005
Seizure:
"Between Rohn and Nikolai, a dog had a seizure
and was running a temperature of 105.3 degrees."
- Aliy Zirkle, Iditarod musher
- Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press,
2004
- Neck, back, shoulder, leg and foot injuries:
"Bend
sled-dog racer Rachael Scdoris has dropped out of the grueling, 1,125-mile
Iditarod race only about 125 miles from the finish line after her two
lead dogs developed a limp, friends said Friday."
-
KTVZ- TV, March 14, 2008, website article
"I
checked Lisa and her leg was swollen."
-
Scdoris, Rachael and Steber, Rick. No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind
Iditarod Racer, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007
"I stopped to check him [Tyne] and found his shoulder had a pulled muscle.
Knowing sometimes dogs can work through this I left him on the line. I
didn't need an additional 50 pounds in the sled at this point. Soon, it
was evident he needed to ride. He was hopping on 3 legs and crying out
when his 4th leg hit the snow."
"Most of the dogs had shoulder or other muscle injuries
caused by miles of snow holes."
- James Warren, Iditarod '06 Journal, published on the Internet
"Piko
limped coming out of White Mountain and ran out of gas on the ice."
- The dog Piko belongs to Melissa Owens
- Fort Mills Times, March 14, 2008
"[Darin]
Nelson arrived in Galena, a checkpoint 445 miles away from Nome, with
two dogs in his sled, two limping and only five pulling."
-
Tamar Ben-Yosef, The Cordova Times, March 20, 2008
"I
covered the Iditarod dog-sled race ten times. Walking out onto the ice
of the Bering Sea in February, the Northern Lights dancing a spectacular
show above, is a distinct memory. But watching those huskies' paws bleed
and crack during their 1100-mile, 22-hour-a-day run across the Alaskan
tundra, was heartache for a dog lover."
- Diana Nyad, The Score, KCRW Radio, November 2, 2006, website
transcript
"Slushy
rain freezes into jagged ice, which can cut the pads of dogs' feet."
-
Emily Langer, Washington Post, March 2, 2008
"I
finally got to into Finger Lake only to find that my hardest driving male
wheel dog had hurt his shoulder in the corn snow...."
- Iditarod musher Bruce Linton, "Bruce's Journal
- Part I, " Burlington Free Press website, March 26, 2007
"The
dog (Swenson's dog) suffered a severe neck injury...."
- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 10, 2000
"'Our
speed required all my strength to manhandle the sled. I hit a tree, breaking
the sled's main runner. This made it impossible for me to steer properly,
resulting in two dogs spraining their backs.'"
-
DeeDee Jonrowe talking about an incident in the 2000 Iditarod
- Grace Fox, The Salvation Army War Cry, February 16, 2002
"One
[dog] pulled too hard and injured its back, another was injured jumping
over a bale of hay in a checkpoint and the third wore out."
-
Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 13, 2001, writing about Rick Swenson's
best dogs.
"...Her
[Barrie's] last decent front-end dog pulled a shoulder on the trail between
Ophir and Iditarod."
"Tim
Triumph's best leader, Victory, pulls a shoulder in Farewell Burn."
-
Bowers, Don. Back of the Pack, Anchorage: Publication Consultants,
2000
"Land's
leader, Pig, was one of several dogs in her team to suffer strains or
sprains to a shoulder or wrist, he said."
-
Terry Adkins, DVM, discussing musher Karen Land's injured dogs
- Mark Downey, Great Falls Tribune, March 8, 2003
"His
[Ken Chase's] dogs were bummed after cutting their feet on the icy trail
out of Knik."
"His [Roy Monk's] dogs' feet were too sore to continue."
"After 275 miles on the trail, three of my [Brian O'Donoghue's] dogs
had troublesome cuts or splits in their pads."
"Doc diagnosed Skidders's [O'Donoghue's dog] limp
as resulting from a sprained toe."
-
O'Donoghue, Brian Patrick. My Lead Dog was a Lesbian, New York:
Vintage Books, 1996
-
O'Donoghue was a reporter for the Fairbanks News-Miner
"The
only injury was to one of her [Rachael Scdoris] dogs, which had wrapped
a line around its leg a day earlier. The leg started to swell on the next
day's run."
-
Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 10, 2005
"Clint Warnke of Fairbanks massages ointment
on the sore front leg of Cobalt."
- Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 8, 2007
"All was going well until the 48-year-old veteran
[Martin Buser] hit a tree stump...."
"Buser lost his best lead dog, Hot Foot, because of this stump. The impact
was so powerful, it "bummed out" her shoulder, he said."
- Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 12, 2006
[Sound of a dog crying]
Rick Swenson: "Oh yes, your foot is so
sensitive."
Annie Feidt: "Swenson rubs a clear gel on the
lower leg of one of his lead dogs and wraps it in it a red neoprene-like
material. He holds up the tiny bottle and calls it the magic ointment."
Rick Swenson: "That's like 25 bucks.
We buy it by the case-- about like drinkin scotch, good scotch."
- Rick Swenson was a musher in the 2006 Iditarod
- Annie Feidt interviewed him for the Alaska Public Radio Network, March
16, 2006, website.
Dogs
get blisters on their pads:
"They [the dogs] had gone through a river overflow
and gotten their paws wet, which lead to blisters on their pads."
- Nancy Russell, whose dogs raced in the Iditarod
- Laurie Arendt, Greater Milwaukee Today, November 24, 2003
[From the Sled Dog Action Coalition: The blisters can easily become infected.]
Dogs injured by stepping in moose holes:
"...But 10 miles out of Ophir a dog stepped
in a moose hole and was injured."
- Discussing Musher Juan Alcina's dog
- Staff report, Anchorage Daily News, March 17, 2000, website article
"The most insidious moose-generated problems
don't even require the perpetrator to be present. A moose walking on a
trail tends to punch through the hard crust with its hooves. These holes
become traps for fast-moving dogs, who can dislocate shoulders and even
break legs by stepping into a foot-deep moose print."
- Bowers, Don. Back of the Pack, Anchorage: Publication Consultants,
2000
Soreness and tendinitis:
"As
far as dog injuries and soreness go, this is the worst of any Iditarod
he's run, he said."
-
Boulding, musher in 2000 Iditarod
- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 11, 2000
"The punchy trail, he [Martin Buser] said,
caused several dogs to develop tendinitis in their wrists."
-
Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 12, 2004
"[Sonny]
Lindner said the trail this year was soft and punchy in spots and some
of this dogs were suffering from soreness early in the race."
- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 6, 2007
Vomiting:
"This
guy in the wheel if you can check him over. He threw up a little while
ago and it was like he had straw and it looked like there might be a little
blood in it."
-
Musher Ramy Brooks
- Outdoor Life Network (OLN), Iditarod, 2005
"When
we pulled in Lycos had caught a bug, vomited on the trail, and was running
a fever."
-
Eric Rogers, "A Rookies Journey - Race Synopis," 2006, R Northbound
Dogs website
"I
guess my hiccup is how it seems like it's always early in the race coming
for a remote kennel here about three days into the race we get massively
sick and then so I felt I was, you know I, I actually stopped at Ophir
and then I stopped at Rainy and then I stopped again at Rohn, which was
unplanned and then I stopped at Salmon River and I stopped at McGrath
and I stopped at Ophir and then I camped again on the way to Iditarod
just trying to keep my team together because they were just really throwing
up, really sick."
"It was hard to get them to eat, because they couldn't keep anything down."
- Musher Ed Iten talking about his dogs
- Interview with Steve Heimel, Alaska Public Radion Network, February
28, 2006
Harness
irritation:
"Brooks
also said he had to drop one dog, which had lost weight earlier in the
race and had developed chafing problems because its harness no longer
fit correctly."
- Joel Gay, Anchorage Daily News, March 11,
2003
Coughing:
"They had a virus with a fever, and they were coughing mucus."
-
Aliy Zirkle, Iditarod musher
- Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press,
2004
"I heard Jamie's dogs, and they sounded like a convention
of pleurisy victims. Hack-hack." "Jamie went on to finish with all sixteen
of her starting team."
- Musher Paul Ellering talking about Jamie Nelson's dogs
- Paul Ellering. Wrestling the Iditarod, Bend: Maverick Publications,
2005
Cuts:
" My oldest dog, Skitters, got cut when the sled caught him, a pretty
nasty looking cut."
-
Brian O'Donaghue, Iditarod musher and former reporter for the Fairbanks
News-Miner
- Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press,
2004
Constipation:
"His dogs had eaten some straw in White Mountain and were bound up in
their bowels."
- Paul Ellering is talking about Dan Govoni's dogs
- Paul Ellering. Wrestling the Iditarod, Bend: Maverick Publications,
2005
Stiffness:
"The dogs were stiff in the hindquarters, he [Tollef
Monson] said."
- Kevin Klott, Anchorage Daily News, March 11, 2007
Many different illnesses and injuries:
"Siirtola started the race with 16 dogs, but finished
with only eight, as soreness and an intestinal virus sidelined half the
team."
"There were a couple of times that Siirtola thought about pulling out
of the race, especially when the intestinal virus forced her to use only
eight dogs, who carried on for the entire second half of the race."
- Gordon Weixel, Bismarck Tribune, March 17, 2008
"Two dogs have been dropped because of minor shoulder
strains, one was coughing from a low-grade infection; dogs, like people,
catch bugs from other dogs...."
- John Schandelmeier, Valdez Star, March 5, 2008
- Shandelmeier is talking about Rich Corcoran's dogs
"But her shoulders were sore. She had diarrhea. She ran with her head
down, aware only of her onw misery."
- Rachael Scdoris talking about her dog Pia.
- Scdoris, Rachael and Steber, Rick. No End in Sight: My Life as a
Blind Iditarod Racer, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2007
Undisclosed injuries and illnesses:
"The 36-year-old musher [Jason Barron] told race
officials his dogs were ill."
- Associated Press and Great Falls Tribune Staff, March 6, 2008
"The
tussocks were really bad. The grass clumps, some of them were eighteen
inches high and there's big holes between them. And it just beats the
dogs up and they fall in holes and fall down."
- Iditarod musher Cim Smyth, KTUU-TV website video, March 8, 2007
"That's where [the Finger Lake checkpoint] Roig noticed two of his dogs,
Sunny and Only, were showing signs of illness and injury."
- Kim Hone-McMahan, The Akron Beacon Journal,
April 15, 2007
"The
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is over for Rachael Scdoris. The legally
blind woman from Oregon scratched Wednesday in Eagle Island."
"She apparently decided to call it quits for the well-being of her team
-- her dogs are sick."
- Lars Peterson, KTUU-TV, Anchorage, KTUU.com, March 16, 2005
"Some of his [Shane Goosen] dogs were sick."
-
Jon Little, Cabela's website, March 9, 2005
Little formerly reported for the Anchorage Daily News.
"I've
got three leaders hurt and pups in lead."
- Sue Allen, talking about her dogs two days into the race
- Jon Little, Cabelas website, March 8, 2004
- Little was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and was an
Iditarod musher
"Matray
indicated that his dogs were sick and unable to continue."
"Barron indicated that his dogs were sick and unable to continue."
- Iditarod press releases, March 6, 2003, Iditarod website