College of Veterinary Medicine

Alaskan sled dogs are perhaps the ultimate endurance athletes, and studies from this laboratory have sought to define the physiologic responses of these dogs to sustained and repetitive exertion, and to training. Studies have included determination of the electrocardiographic characteristics of Alaskan sled dogs, investigating the effects of training on electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics of these dogs, and determining the relationship between electrocardiographic characteristics and the likelihood of death during a race. Other studies have investigated the energy expenditure of Alaskan sled dogs, the mechanism of exercise associated hyponatremia, and the effect of oxidative stress. Several studies have documented the effect of participation in a long distance race on health indices of the dogs.