We have had to do surgery on dogs that have been dropped during the race and this can be anything from a broken leg to repairing a wound. We've also had cases of mushers needing these things too like severe cuts, or a broken leg. Both human and dog have had to be brought out by air for treatment. The most common cause of death during a race is heart problems. There is a great deal of research on this and we hope that we can prevent this completely,soon.
Every musher is met at every checkpoint by the checker and one of the veterinarians.
The checker records the time and checks on the mandatory equipment that each musher has to carry. The veterinarian asks about the dogs, asks about any concerns and will examine in detail every dog on the team. There will be veterinarians at many of the unofficial stops as well. Dogs can take vitamins during the race as long as there are no injections. Vitamins can be added to the food and water and many mushers will do this, as well as take vitamins themselves.