/ News for Educators / Vet Check

Vet Check

Wasilla Headquarters

by Cathy Walters

03/05/2008

By Cathy Walters, 2009 Finalist for Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail

It really is a small world.  Here I am in Wasilla, Alaska, thousands of miles from where I live and I meet another soul from Western North Carolina who has come north to experience the magic of the Iditarod. 

My name is Cathy Walters and I am one of three finalists for the 2009 Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM.  Today I and many other teachers and race fans went to Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla to attend what is commonly referred to as the "vet check."  The Iditarod has set the highest standards of health care based on research studies for all the competing canine athletes.  To be eligible to participate in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race every athlete must be permanently identified with a microchip, have up to date blood testing, and an ECG.  Ten days prior to the start of the race each dog must be dewormed and then they are ready for their last physical before they hit the trail.  This service is provided free of charge to the approximately 100 teams, each starting the race with sixteen dogs.  How can the Iditarod provide this service to hundreds and hundreds of dogs?  There is only one way: Volunteers.

Every year veterinarians, men and women, from all over the United States and several other countries volunteer to come to Alaska for two weeks to help make sure that these mushing athletes get the best of care prior to and during the race.  There are 43 vets volunteering this year under the supervision of Stuart Nelson, DVM.  Bill Sampson from Burnsville, North Carolina is one of them.  He lives just 30 miles from my home in Asheville!  Today Bill is assessing the health of the four-legged athletes.  In this exam he is listening to their hearts, checking paws and joints, and taking temperatures.  The dogs are also scanned to make sure their microchip is in place.  When the examine is finished and the paper work complete the dogs are given approval to compete in the 2008 Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.  But Bill's job is far from over.

Once the Iditarod begins, Bill and the other volunteer veterinarians will "leapfrog" along the trail.  For the first few checkpoints there will be six or seven vets to check the dogs.  As the race progresses and there are greater distances between teams, the vets will be flown to new checkpoints.  There will be an average of 3-4 per checkpoint.  Out on the trail Bill will check the dogs to make sure they are in race condition.  He will check the dogs to see that they are keeping their appetite and maintaining body weight.  Heart rates and rhythms, as well as the dog's lungs are checked for any signs of stress.  All of this will be recorded in the Vet Books that the Iditarod Trail Committee requires each driver to carry.  This recording system has been very successful in maintaining good health and safety for the dogs.  Dr. Nelson told me that over the course of the race these amazing volunteers complete 12,000 routine exams!  That figure represents many hours of service. 

Thank you Stuart, Bill, and all of the volunteer veterinarians for doing your part to once again make the Iditarod happen.  Your generous, loving care for these dogs helps make the Iditarod "The Last Great Race on Earth."