Nothing beats the thirst quenching satisfaction of a long drink of cool fresh water. We come in from a run and what’s the first thing that musher and handler treat us to – a bowl of water – our very own bowl of water. We take a break during a run and what do we get – a bowl of water first followed by snacks. During summer when the temperatures are warm, our bowls are filled at sun upand that generally lasts all day then the same thing happens as soon as we eat supper – more fresh water. With all the attention that water gets, it must be pretty important. The science of hydration can be complicated but I’ve done some research so I’ll share what I know about consuming enough water.

As teams come into the checkpoints, they are first greeted by checkers then veterinarians. These vets seem quite happy to see all the canine athletes. After they’re parked and before they begin napping, the vets come around and give each dog a good going over. One of the things they check for is proper hydration.

They do two different tests for hydration. In the first, the vet will pinch a fold of skin and fur right between the shoulder blades and lift it up. If the fold snaps back to flat within one or two seconds of being released, the amount of fluid in the body is good. Another test the vets do is to check the gums. The vet will slide the skin up over the teeth and press on the gum. The white spot created by the pressure on a nice pink gum should disappear in one second or less if hydration is proper. The feel of the gums gives the vets some clues too. If the gums are slippery and moist, that’s good. If they’re sticky and dry, that’s not so good.

During the summer, a sled dog will drink nearly one and a half quarts of water per day. That’s when we’re being sort of lazy and taking it easy in the shade. It’s a different story when we’re training and racing. We need about six quarts of liquid each day. We get our liquids by drinking them and through the foods we eat.

Activity increases fluid loss for ALL athletes – canines as well as humans. When humans are working hard they sweat. Sled dogs don’t sweat but they lose fluids through breathing. You’ve seen dogs running and their big tongue is hanging out of their mouth. Their tongue is moist and as air passes over it, the moisture evaporates and that makes a fast running, hard working sled dog cool. When humans are running fast or doing other hard work, maybe riding bike, water seeps out of the pores in their skin and then evaporates into the air so they can be cool.

Athletes also lose fluids in the bathroom process. What goes in has to come out either as energy or as waste. Food is broken down through digestion and then it provides muscles with energy. What isn’t useful in providing energy comes out the other end as unusable solid or liquid scrap. Because we eat so many calories during racing and training, we lose lots of liquid in the pieces and puddles we leave behind.

Here’s a tip for humans as to how much water is enough water. Try to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. So do the math – if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 50 ounces of WATER. Pop or drinks that have caffeine or carbonation don’t count as fluids consumed. Drink water frequently throughout the day. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to down a nice tall glass – drink before you’re thirsty.

There you have it – some info on the importance of water for humans and sled dogs. I’m going to check my bowl right now. Stay tuned for my next story. Remember, let PRIDE be your guide – Personal Responsibility in Daily Effort.

Born to Run,
Sanka