This yearB次元官网网址檚 Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race started with 15 mushers and 209 dogs beginning the 1,600-kilometre journey from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whitehorse.

While the mushersB次元官网网址� names are the ones typically remembered and reported on, the dogs really are the stars of the show and it takes a huge amount of time, energy and resources to keep those dogs healthy and on the trail.

Dogs undergo a full pre-race vet check as well as four mandatory vet checks along the race route B次元官网网址� at either the Mile 101 checkpoint or Central checkpoint, at the Eagle checkpoint, at the Dawson City checkpoint and at the Braeburn checkpoint.

Dr. Cristina Hansen, the head veterinarian for the Yukon Quest, said the checks are typically done as soon as possible after a team arrives B次元官网网址� particularly in Dawson.

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B次元官网网址淲e try to do those right away, within an hour of them arriving, because then we can identify those little issues,B次元官网网址� said Hansen. B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 say if we find a dog with a sore wrist, then weB次元官网网址檒l tell the musher what we probably want them to work on and weB次元官网网址檒l go back 24 hours later and reassess the dog, and a lot of times, theyB次元官网网址檙e better after 24 hours of rest.B次元官网网址�

Hansen said there are three common issues that come up during the race B次元官网网址� frostbite, diarrhea and orthopedic (joint and muscle) issues.

Frostbite typically afflicts male dogs on the tip of their penis, thanks to the cold wind rushing over the exposed skin.

Luckily for the dogs, there are coats and B次元官网网址渇ox tailsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� bands that dogs wear to cover their lower bellies and genitals B次元官网网址� to prevent a lot of problems before they start.

Andy Pace, this yearB次元官网网址檚 Yukon Quest Armchair Musher, said that frostbite is an easy issue to deal with before it starts.

B次元官网网址淵ou can definitely do some things to prevent that,B次元官网网址� said Pace, adding that the dogs are used to wearing coats and other items when out for a run. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something that theyB次元官网网址檝e experienced during training so itB次元官网网址檚 not a surprise to them and itB次元官网网址檚 something you as a musher have kind of calibrated to your team.B次元官网网址�

He said the worst thing that typically happens is the band loosens a bit, requiring the musher to stop the team and reposition it.

As far as dealing with diarrhea goes, Hansen said dogs are usually dealing with stress colitis, similar to what human runners might face. Sometimes it can be due to infection, as well.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of that, especially at the start, is just the excitement and the stress of the start and most of the dogs are fine,B次元官网网址� said Hansen. B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 get dehydrated, they continue to eat, they donB次元官网网址檛 lose weight. TheyB次元官网网址檒l maybe have diarrhea for a checkpoint or two and then theyB次元官网网址檙e fine.B次元官网网址�

For Pace though, the muscle issues that dogs have are by far the most common to deal with both in checkpoints and when camping on the trail.

The routines mushers follow at checkpoints are very similar to what they follow when camped on the trail, said Pace.

B次元官网网址淭he idea of the whole routine is that you do it so many times that when youB次元官网网址檙e exhausted , you donB次元官网网址檛 really have to comptemplate what the next step is,B次元官网网址� said Pace. B次元官网网址淵our muscle memory just kicks in.B次元官网网址�

He said typically while waiting for water to boil dogs are given a check by the musher, with a focus on the flexion, or bending of the limb.

While it may seem like a difficult task to the average person to keep track of physical health of 14 dogs, Pace said that the time spent training the team actually makes it fairly easy.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a little less tricky than you might think,B次元官网网址� said Pace. B次元官网网址淓veryone running that race has spent already a couple thousand miles behind those same dogs, watching their gait through all kinds of terrain and you can really tell when there is even the slightest hitch in the giddy up for any of them.B次元官网网址�

The gait is the first thing one notices, he said adding that it could be as simple as an issue with a bootie or dogB次元官网网址檚 paw pad.

Where on the leg the problem is also plays a role in what happens next.

B次元官网网址淥ver time, you get a sense for what the best course of action is,B次元官网网址� said Pace. B次元官网网址淚f itB次元官网网址檚 a shoulder, itB次元官网网址檚 best in most cases not to run the dog. If itB次元官网网址檚 a wrist, you can work through it a lot.B次元官网网址�

Dogs running the Yukon Quest are also typically given antacids as a way to prevent gastric ulcers.

B次元官网网址淲e recommend them,B次元官网网址� said Hansen, explaining that those ulcers used to be the number one cause of sled dog death before an academic paper on the subject led to significant changes in antacid use and today, B次元官网网址渁lmost every musher puts their dog on an antacid.B次元官网网址�

The real key to keeping the dogs healthy for Pace is the relationship between the vet team and the mushers.

B次元官网网址淚 do think itB次元官网网址檚 worth noting B次元官网网址� how much of a kind of symbiotic relationship the vets and the mushers have,B次元官网网址� said Pace. B次元官网网址淭hey both definitely unify around the welfare of the athletes in the race and pay heed and counsel to one another in the best interest of the dogs always.B次元官网网址�

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