The 2009 Alaska dog sled race has ended with the highest death rate for dogs who participated in the Iditarod Dog Race.  Animal activists are protesting the inhumane treatment of the dogs that run in minus 50 degree weather for 1,100 miles.  The dogs run at 80 miles per hour and many face certain death in blizzards and storms along the route.

One racer Lou Packer raced through a challenging windy storm with deep snow that hid the trail markers but he did complete the race.
Packer mentioned he put clothing on the dogs and fed them cooked foods. Tracked by his wife at home through the Iditarod website she knew that there was a problem when his tracking showed no progress or his speed was slowing down. One of Packers dogs by the name of Grasshopper became lethargic and eventually died.

Another dog died later and Packer himself got frostbitten in his eyes.

Alaska Dog Sled Race Videos

The Alaska dog racing began nearly 40 years ago and since then 146 dogs have died pulling sleds 1,000 miles in sub zero weather.
Iditarod spokesperson Chas St. George said that in 1985 12 dogs died in a blizzard during a race which if you are a dog lover -one dog’s death in a pleasure sport is too many.

The dogs most often die from gastric ulcers no doubt due to the enormous stress put on their bodies and the freezing conditions must also  be a factor in their deaths. When dogs get ulcers it is indicative of high stress and reinforces the public outcry of this type of dog racing.  Two other dogs died of pulmonary edema the Anchorage Daily News reported. The edema was possibly caused by the cardiac irregularity stopped their hearts  from moving fluid out of the dog’s lungs .

A spokesperson from the Human Society Dave Pauli the Western Regional Director would like to see this race continue to celebrate the history and culture of Alaska.  Even Dr. Packer says he will continue with Iditarod even though he put his own dogs through tremendous amounts of stress and watched two of his dogs die in front of him.

Over 1,000 dogs each year must complete this race and the Human Society has given up on protesting it or has sided with the race. PETA has requested a criminal investigation by the Alaska State and Debbie Leahy the director indicates it is 1,000 miles of torture for the dogs with little regard to the dogs health.

PETA spokesperson Desiree Acholla indicated they were mounting a letter writing campaign to persuade sponsors to withdraw their support form Iditarod.

Two of those companies are Exxon Mobil and Wells Fargo who still continue to support the race financially through their sponsorships.
Officials at Iditarod made no response to PETA‘s request.

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 Some holistic veterinarians believe strongly that vaccinating your dog or cat each year is not necessary and in some cases can prove to cause life threatening diseases.

The jury is still out on the link between human vaccines and the onset shortly afterwards of autism in children.

Dr. Shawn Messonier a DVM is a holistic veterinarian that wrote a book Bible for Dogs and Cats where he outlines the potential harm from vaccines for pets.

Such illnesses as cancer, allergies, and autoimmune diseases are blamed on vaccinations by many veterinarians especially when given each year.

Dr. Messonnier recommends that you ask your vet for a titer test which is a blood test which is done yearly to see if your dog “needs a booster”.

A Titer Test uses a serial dilution and tests how much antibody your dog has in its blood before you order your veterinarian to give your dog vaccinations. The blood is sent to a laboratory to determine the analysis and the results are returned to your veterinarian and you can get a copy of the report yourself to keep a record.

The results are given as a number and the higher the number the healthier your dog, and the lower the number means your dog needs a booster.

Some vets still cannot decide what number determines the need for shots and suggest you give them regardless of the results. Some dogs will not need shots every year and can go 3-4 years without a booster, and others will need them only every 5-10 years.

The titer test costs roughly $ 60.00 and it tests for distemper, and the parvovirus rather than just vaccinating indiscriminately without knowing whether the pet requires a booster.

When you consider the lifespan of an animal from 10 to 15 years or more usually the initial vaccination and a booster 1 year later is sufficient for the life of the animal.

The advantage of the test is that your dog will not receive too many vaccines which can harm the immune system and your dog will remain healthier. It is worth the cost of the test and far less expensive than needless vaccines.

Tags: vaccinations, pet vaccines, veterinarians, booster shots, Dr. Messonnier, holistic veterinarians, dogs, cats, pet care, titer, antibodies, blood test.

 I never met a needle I liked.