By Herb Brambley
2010 Target Teacher on the Trail Finalist
Imagine you are a professional athlete getting ready for your playing season, or even a high school athlete. What is the first thing you have to do before stepping onto the playing field? That’s right! Get a physical by a qualified physician and have the paper work signed on the bottom providing proof that you have been examined. The elite athletes of the Iditarod, the dogs, have to go through the same process. Every dog competing in the Iditarod must be examined by a qualified veterinarian. Even more than that, every dog must receive an EKG in order to make sure its heart is healthy enough to safely run the race to Nome.
Mushers are evaluating the health of their dogs on a daily basis by asking themselves questions like, are the dogs maintaining their weight? Do they need to have booties on to protect their feet? Do the dogs appear enthusiastic about running or are the listless? These and other questions are just part of the continuous evaluation by a musher of his or her team.
In order to begin to gain an understanding of this process, students can learn the acronym H.A.W.L. Hawl, which means turn left if you’re mushing dogs, is also the acronym for Heart and Hydration, Attitude and Appetite, Weight, and Lungs. The heart and lungs are the two main organs of a mammal that are part of the respiration process. Weight is also related to respiration in that if a mammal is metabolizing more calories than it is taking in, it will lose weight. If it is taking in more calories than it is metabolizing, it will gain weight. In order for metabolism to take place properly, oxygen must be present in the blood. How does the oxygen get into the blood? It gets there via the lungs. Therefore, the heart, lungs, and weight are all related to each other. Students can gain an understanding of this by doing a few simple lab experiments that require them to check their own pulse at rest, exercise for a short time, and check their pulse again. The following internet site shows this through the use of a lab. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/scottforesman/Sci_5_PBA_D.pdf
The heart is the organ that pumps blood through a mammal’s body. The heart consists of several chambers with valves between them. When the veterinarian is listening to the heart, he is listening for any abnormalities in rhythm or any sounds that may indicate a heart valve that is leaking. The following internet site has videos, animations, and lessons that may demonstrate this to students.
http://www.smm.org/heart/lessons/top.html
You may be wondering what attitude has to do with health. Dogs are not like people in that they can’t use words to communicate how they are feeling. Dogs communicate through their actions. If a dog isn’t feeling well, it will often demonstrate this by restlessness, panting, or drooling. It may stop eating or drinking or, it may refuse to pull. Mushers are continually watching for changes in a dog’s habits that could indicate a problem.
In talking with Dr. Stuart Nelson, chief veterinarian for the Iditarod, I learned that diet and nutrition also play important roles in a dog’s overall health. As mentioned above, diet and cardiovascular function are related to weight. Proper weight in dogs, just as in humans, is achieved through proper diet and exercise. A dog’s diet should be low in carbohydrates, and most of its caloric intake should come from fat. Keep in mind that a dog’s diet is different than a healthy diet for humans. To view a healthy diet for humans, use the food guide pyramid at the following site.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/pyramid.html
There is an old saying in the horse world, “no hoof, no horse.” That means if a horses hooves aren’t taken care of properly, the horse won’t be able to be ridden or used for work. The same holds true for a dog. A dog’s paws must be taken care of properly or the dog may end up limping and won’t be able to pull effectively. Mushers maintain good paw health in a few ways. They use booties to protect the paws if trail conditions require, and they put a liniment on them to keep them flexible. Dog bootie activities and uses may be found at the following site.
http://www.iditarod.com/pdfs/teacher/teachervol1complete.pdf
The following site shows a video clip of an actual Iditarod vet check. It shows blood being drawn for the dogs blood work, and it shows a dog getting an EKG. I suggest that you view the clip before showing it to your students since this may be too graphic for some younger students.
http://spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com/search/label/Iditarod
There are rules that govern the Iditarod race. Many of these rules have been made to protect the dogs who are the real athletes in this race. Each musher must be a member of Mush with P.R.I.D.E. This organization provides standards for dog care and equipment, and is concerned with the public’s perception of dog sled racing. The acronym stands for Providing Responsible Information on a Dogs Environment. You can get more information at the following web site.
And finally, the sites listed below include this year’s Pre-Race Exam Form, the Iditarod Rules, which include specifics that protect these elite dog athletes, pictures of the vet check from last year, and an article that discusses the no doping policy of the Iditarod Trail Committee.
Iditarod Pre race exam form
http://www.iditarod.com/pdfs/2009/2009VetCheckForm.pdf
Iditarod Rules
http://www.iditarod.com/pdfs/2009/2009RulesFinal.pdf
Pictures of the vet check
http://backstage-iditarod.blogspot.com/2008/02/vet-check-iditarod-2008-part-1.html
Clean Race Article
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2008-02-29-iditarod-doping_N.htm#
Items a musher must have in the sled.
http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/sledcargoFK.htm
Answering the Critics
http://www.mushhusky.com/subject-guides/23-The%20Iditarod%20Fact,%20Not%20Fiction.pdf
