AR-News: Inadequate vet care leads to Iditarod dog death

[Glickman37 at aol.com]

>From the Sled Dog Action Coalition, http://www.helpsleddogs.org 

[The order of the checkpoints is Kaltag and then Unalakleet. There is 90 
miles between the two checkpoints]

Kaltag checkpoint: Takk not pulling well:

"Backen arrived in Kaltag at the last checkpoint on the Yukon River at 2:22 
p.m."

"Backen said he would really like to get Takk all the way to Nome again. The 
dog was not pulling well because he had some tendinitis in his wrist, perhaps 
because the last section of trail was soft and punchy."

- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 13, 2004, 4:40 pm AST

Takk sits down and dies:

"Backen, who was between a quarter-mile and half-mile from the [Unalakleet] 
checkpoint when he stopped his sled, said the dog [Takk] sat down and died."

- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 14, 2:55 pm AST   

Vet thinks Takk was in "phenomenal" shape at Kaltag checkpoint:

"A vet at the previous checkpoint 90 miles away in Kaltag described them 
[Backen's dogs] as 'phenomenal.'"    

- Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 14, 2:55 pm AST
    

    
    





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