This post begins with a Huge Howl and Mush Thanks to Dr. Kate Van Duine with Alaska Pet Care for joining Team Dew Claw! We are super pleased to be working with Dr. Van Duine** to help ensure Dew Claw dogs get the best care possible….

**Oh heck who am I kidding, I call her Katie, she has the greatest smile ever, and we hug when we meet up at races. And really that leads me to the meat of this post. What role do vets play in the lives of mushers and the dogs they love?

I think it is a common misconception that the race vets act as police, checking mushers at every opportunity. And to be fair, if I am being strictly technical, that IS in fact what they do. If you read race rules you will learn there are mandatory vets checks and that vets have authority over mushers.  But I say misconception because the implication in the “police over mushers” model is that the relationship is adversarial. When Nothing could be farther from the Truth! As a musher, not only do I count on their expertise and input, I am also very thankful for the friendships that have grown over the years, the encouragement and the advise.

Over the years I have learned more about dog care from race vets then most people will ever need to or care to know about. Long hours of waiting for Dan when I handled for him on the Yukon Quest were spent around checkpoint tables with travel mugs of coffee and detailed discussion about such fun topics as “stress diarrhea vs. viral” “fat content in the working dog diet”  “wrist wraps with or without saran wrap” and “who came up with the recipe for Puotine?” which is not really dog related, but was an actual topic. And as a racer I get the chance to work together with vets at every checkpoint.

Aside from Dan & I there is no other group of people more concerned with how happy our dogs are. They volunteer their time, giving up the luxury of home (you know things like a bed, shower, good coffee, and a full nights sleep) to join mushers and volunteers for days on end at checkpoints. Trust me when I say they are not doing all this for the glamor. They do it for the same reason the mushers do… They Love the Dogs!

Recently I had the opportunity to speak about dog care on the trail at the Yukon Quest Rookie Meeting in Fairbanks. One of the biggest points I tried to make to the group was that the race vets are one of your greatest assets during the race. Your entry costs a pretty penny, so take full advantage of everything that entry fee entitles you too, like access to some of the most experienced sled dog vet in the world.  I have joked more then once that I plan on getting my entry fee back in dog care knowledge by working with race vets.  I also tried to drive home the point, that like any relationship it takes work. You need to communicate to the race vets clearly and honestly  what your issues and concerns are for them to be able to really offer the support and information you need.

Oh but there is so much more to say about the Veterinarians who come out and give so generously of their time and knowledge. To know them is to love them. Cliche but true. When it is dark and cold and you are feeling low, who is there to give you a hug? A vet. Freezing cold out and you need a pep talk, who is there? A vet. Laugh with you about how cold/dark/long/ stinky it was, afterwords at the banquet? Oh yeah, gots to be a vet. Freak out at 4 pm on a Sunday because your puppy just swallowed a chemical heat pack, who you gonna call? Yeah a vet, and most likely one of the amazing ones you met on the trail, because you know they care and they got your back.

I (vaguely) remember being half awake right before lying down for a short nap on the Yukon Quest at an off road dog drop; making one of the vets promise me she would kiss Reeses on the nose when she fed him because he likes kisses. I had dropped Reeses because he had a broken nail, and he was in the care of vets waiting to be flown out.  Apparently I was very adamant about this; cause when I got up 2 hours later I was reassured by the Vet, checker, and volunteers that Reeses had been fed, kissed, and was headed home well loved. Don’t know a lot of people who would indulge a 40-something year old woman when she says, “here’s my doggie, kiss him” but I do know some who will.

Yeah you know it, A Race Vet!!!

So if it makes animal rights activist feel better to think that there is an army of veterinarians out there watching over me like a hawk to make sure I can’t do anything wrong – so be it. I know the truth. I have an army of veterinarians working with me because they care, and I love them for it.