This interview was conducted by Brian J. Keller onboard flight #834 from Minneapolis, MN to Anchorage, AK on Sunday March 11, 2007.

Interview with Dr. Carl Rogge VMD
Phone: 410-647-1262
Email: c.roggevmd@comcast.net

How do the dogs do in the race? (Most common question asked of Dr. Carl)
“They do great, they are natural born runners; it’s what they have trained to do all their lives. When you see them at the starting line they are so excited, it reminds me of football players at the introduction of the super bowl except they don’t bang their heads together.”

What happens to the dogs that can’t make the complete race?
“At every checkpoint there is a team of vets there to monitor the welfare of the dogs. Each dog is given a comprehensive exam. In most cases the musher will have already determined if they are going to drop a dog before they reach a checkpoint, they don’t want their dog to get injured. This decision is then backed by the vets exams. After a dog is ‘dropped’ it’s treated by the vet more aggressively than the ones in the race. They are then picked up by bush plane and flown to Anchorage where they are either taken to a hospital for further examination or boarded at the prison. The inmates take excellent care of the dogs until the musher’s return from Nome. Each dog has a collar and a microchip for proper identification.”

Are any of the articles or stories you hear about the mis-treatment of the dogs true?
“Absolutely not! If one dog out of the 1,400 that are running is lost it’s taken very seriously. This is my 9th year at the Iditarod.”

Interesting Facts

• The dogs are not allowed any pain killing medicine. They don’t want to mask a dog’s problem.
• All dogs prior to the race have an EKG taken and read by a board certified veterinary cardiologist. They also have a complete blood profile and CBC run and evaluated with a comprehensive physical exam and monitored throughout the race.
• The first 20 teams that finish are given the same tests that were given at the start of the race.
• The sled dog is a draft animal and works for their owners. Entire villages have been moved using dogs. They are one of the only work animal that can survive an arctic climate.
• In 1925 the sled dog saved the people of Nome from diphtheria by delivering needed medicine.

Quotes

• “I have a friend that runs marathons and he was disturbed because he doesn’t get that kind of treatment.”
• “The dogs aren’t running constantly. They get significant rest every 3-4 hours.”
• “All of the Vets belong to the international sled dog vet medical association. It’s a group trying to improve anything possible as far as any ailment the dogs may get. They have made remarkable strides in the last 10 years in the health of the sled dog.”
• Eskimo prayer 3/1/07 – “This land was made for the dogs to run on”