Dogs get their doctors' notes to race the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest

[TribalRats]

Dogs get their doctors' notes to race the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest

SATURDAY: "We don't want any unfortunate situations."

By MATIAS SAARI
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Published: February 6, 2007
Last Modified: February 6, 2007 at 04:04 AM

FAIRBANKS -- Getting their dog teams examined by Yukon Quest veterinarians is hardly a stressful exercise for mushers in the upcoming 1,000-mile race.

"I always like the vet check," said Sebastian Schnuelle, a five-time Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race veteran living in Whitehorse, Yukon. "They might find things I might be missing."

Said Greg Parvin, a rookie Quest musher who moved this season from Nome to Two Rivers: "It's nice to have somebody who's trained to go through each dog and each foot and check all those things. It's just good to have that second opinion."

And J.T. Hessert, a 22-year-old Quest rookie from Big Lake, added: "It's stressful getting to Fairbanks and getting everything organized. But the vets are good and it's good to have them out there."

A team of veterinarians and volunteers checked 16 teams in Fairbanks.

A similar event in Whitehorse will check other teams; the practice is mandatory for Quest rookies, while veterans are permitted to use sanctioned veterinarians of their choice. Most mushers go with the team the Quest provides.

"It's another challenging race and we want to be sure these dogs are all in good shape to make the trip," said head veterinarian Vern Starks, a former Ketchikan native now living near Port Townsend, Wash. "We make sure they're not running a fever, their heart rates are normal, their lungs sound clear. They're given a pretty good physical exam."

If they didn't already have an identifying microchip embedded in their skin (sometimes in hard-to-find places), dogs were set up with one.

Starks, who's worked with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race since 1989 and the Quest since 2001, says mushers generally abide by his suggestions, even if it means leaving a dog behind for the start of the race Saturday in Whitehorse.

Starks recommended one of Healy musher Regina Wycoff's dogs not race because of a partially torn tendon.

"Mushers, they respect what we say. Pretty much, they take your suggestions," said Starks, who will head a Quest team of 14 veterinarians.

Richie Beattie of Two Rivers was concerned about a dog's respiratory condition, but Quest vets listened to his breathing with a scope and cleared the dog to compete.

"Of the 16 dogs I brought in, 15 I knew were in great shape. I wasn't worried about them at all," said Beattie, running his second Quest. "(One) just had a little cough. It turns out it's not in his lungs."

Parvin is one musher thankful all 14 of his dogs got the go-ahead.

"I don't have any spares. I don't have any margin for error from here on out because you can't run any that you don't get checked," said Parvin, who saw five potential Quest dogs fall through during training -- three that experienced minor wrist injuries that forced them to miss valuable training time and two that suffered more serious Achilles and shoulder setbacks.

Schnuelle, who has also run the Iditarod the past two years, said the Iditarod vet check, which uses blood tests, discovered a kidney problem with one dog and an abnormal red blood cell count with another.

Starks said the vet check builds relationships with mushers and can prevent canine health problems during the race.

"We don't want any unfortunate situations. We haven't had one for four years here," Starks said. "I think it speaks to the mushers. I think it speaks to a good vet staff, and a little luck."