Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Here we'll stuff all those things we want to keep for later reading. Like the "Ask the musher"-series.

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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby Leaddog » Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:11 am

Quick clarification: Rule #11 of the Kuskokwim 300 states that the race vet has the specific authority to remove a dog from the race and/or compel a musher to rest additional time at a checkpoint. I've never attended the Kusko (would love to), so I was not familiar with this. From the races I know, this is a bit of an unusual departure from the standard rules and operations in which the race vets are officially advisors, not officials.
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby Di* » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:35 am

Hello Dr. Mike & thanks so much for visiting w/us here :)
I've been pouring over the posts and I'm learning a lot!
Can't think of any technical questions to ask at the moment, so I'll ask you about your experiences with Dockdogs...and for those that don't know, what exactly is this sport?
How many dogs do you have that compete in this competition?
How long have you been involved?
8-) Thx for your reply!
~Diana
Dogs...What they lack in manners, they make up for in Sincerity!
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby sc-race-fan » Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:48 am

Hi Dr. Mike. Thanks for spending time with us. I got "hooked on the race" when I found out that Dr. Sonny King, a vet from Spartanburg South Carolina, was an Iditarod race vet/ turned musher. South Carolina, was my home state at the time, thus my forum name. I was able to attend a school presentation of his regarding the race and was amazed at the preparation required to be competitive. Reading about your research is very interesting and I can see why various organizations would be interested in the results. My questions will be easy. Were you involved with the race when Dr. King was a vet or musher? Would you consider becoming a musher in the race?
Proud PaPa of the triplet litter; Aidan (B), Bailey (G), and Cameron (B). Cameron is on top in picture; Bailey, of course, is the bowhead!!
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby Leaddog » Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:58 pm

Hi Diana
Dock Dogs is an excuse to go goof off with your dogs, masquerading as a sport. There are 3 events that test how far, how high, and how fast your dog is. Big Air is "how far" - dogs take a running leap from a dock, and video cameras record how far the dog gets before his butt hits the water. Generally, you get the dogs pumped up and motivated by throwing something like a retrieving dummy or tennis ball into the water ahead of them. Extreme Vertical is "how high" - a standard retrieving dummy is suspended on an arm over the pool by a couple pieces of string and some magnets, about 3-4 ft from the edge of the dock. The idea is for the dog to take a running start, and leap high enough to grab the dummy (or at least knock it off the magnets). Like pole vaulting, you keep increasing the height until you miss. Speed Retrieve is "how fast" - a photo timer is positioned about halfway down the dock, and the standard retrieving dummy with string and magnets is fastened to another timer at the far end of the pool. When the light at the end of the pool turns green (like drag racing), the dog starts running, leaps into the water, and swims to the far end to grab the dummy. Time starts at the phototimer on the dock, and ends when the dog grabs the dummy.
Now, if it was really a sport, and it really mattered who won, you wouldn't see so many people cheering for other people's dogs. The dogs are having an absolute blast getting to jump into the water while people cheer. The sport is dominated by the big retrieving-type dogs like labs and other athletic dogs like Belgian Malinois, but I've seen Cocker Spaniels, dachshunds, and Great Danes. Just good old fashioned fun.
Both of my dogs are competing. It's a shame we didn't discover this sport sooner, since Jake (the older) has been doing this stuff for fun since he was 6 months old. He's past his prime, and currently has trouble with any indoor events and speed retrieve in the outdoor events because his eyes are gonig bad. He can't see the dummy at the far end of the pool during speed retrieve until he is about half-way down the pool, so he's taking it on faith that it is there when he's swimming. As a result, it is more of a "searching" kind of swim instead of straight as an arrow. He still considers it a success when he finally sees the dummy and head's straight for it, though. Same problem with Big Air - he has trouble seeing exactly where the end of the dock is, so he will sometimes start his jump 4-5 feet before the edge. Makes for a lousy distance, but he likes the splash more than the distance anyway.
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby Leaddog » Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:00 pm

Hi South Carolina
Dr. King was still running just as I was getting started, but I probably only met him once in passing during all the race commotion. I've had the infrequent thought about mushing myself, but I tend to get over it pretty quickly. I like to say that competitive mushing takes a special kind of crazy, and that's not the kind of crazy that I have.
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby libby the lab » Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:52 pm

I am going to be brave and correct the "Good Doctor" since I know him ;) . In Extreme Vertical the dummy is 8"out from the edge of the dock (just ask Libby she barked at it for a good year in competition before she finally grabed it) and starts out at 4'6" higher than the dock or 6'6"of the water :D

Cindy, Libby and Hank

PS How come nobody ever asked me to explain DockDogs :cry: Just kidding Di ;)
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RIP Libby and Hank

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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby libby the lab » Sun Jan 23, 2011 3:37 pm

Mike-
What races have you worked as a staff Vet for and when?
Do you enjoy that? I would assume you can't do that when you are doing research.
Can you share any memorable moments from races you have been involved with?

Cindy, Libby and Hank
Cindy, Anna Banana and Link-de
RIP Libby and Hank

http://www.dockdogs.com
http://www.chaseawayk9cancer.org
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby Leaddog » Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:24 pm

Hi Cindy. I'll take your word for the distances on Extreme Vertical - we're still looking for our first successful height.

I am rarely an "official" race vet since I am usually doing research. However, since the research is always coordinated with race staff, including the head vet, they know I'm around and available to help out. In that capacity, I've worked on the Copper Basin, the Sheep Mountain, the Yukon Quest, and Iditarod. I'm sort of the veterinarian behind the glass panel that says "in case of emergency, break glass".
Honestly, I'm not terribly comfortable with all aspects of being a race vet. I've spent very little time in general practice, and therefore I'm more used to dealing with a few clients and animals (dog or horse) that I know very well, as opposed to the typical race-vet situation in which you may have never met the musher or dogs before.
Easily the most memorable moment was at the finish line of Iditarod in 2004. We went out to the finish chute to welcome a musher, and one of their dogs collapsed as they were crossing the finish line. We scooped the dog up and ran him down the hill into the mini-convention center that serves as HQ in Nome for the finish, and went to work. The dog had vomited and aspirated, probably within 5 miles of Nome, and was in bad shape. We stuck an IV in him, got him on antibiotics, and raided the Nome ambulance for an oxygen tank that we connected to a styrofoam cup that we used as a mask to deliver the oxygen. Someone had to stay with him to keep the mask on, keep the IV running, and basically monitor him, so I laid down next to him and we both sort of napped for about a day. We got him stablilized well enough to ship to Anchorage, and when we took him to the airport, we described the situation to the Alaska Airlines pilot, who allowed him to not only ride in the cabin but also pressured the plane to full sea-level pressure so that the dog would have as much oxygen as he could get. He was transferred to a veterinary hospital ICU in Anchorage, where he promptly ruptured a lung and had to have a chest tube inserted and go on a mechanical ventlator for about a week. The whole thing was touch-and-go, and I would prefer not to do it again, but it was rewarding to see EVERYONE doing what they could to help out - from the musher to the Iditarod staff and vets to the folks in Nome to the Alaska Airlines staff, all the way to the vets and techs at the hospital in Anchorage who ultimately pulled him out of the fire against all odds. Not only did he live, but I got to see him two more times. The first was 6 months later in September of the same year, and since he appeared to have fully recovered, the musher wanted me to check him over to see if I would make a recommendation for returning to training. During the exam, the dog became the first (and thus far only) sled dog to ever try to bite me - after the weeks in intensive care and all the follow-up, he had tolerated about all the veterinary attention he wanted for awhile. Can't say I blame him. I saw him again about a year ago - LOTS older, and getting ready to completely retire from joining his kennel mates on recreational runs. He didn't try to bite me that time.
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby libby the lab » Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:32 pm

Mike- I was just ribbing you about the EV :lol:
That was some memorable moment and I hope you don't ever one like that again.

Cindy, Libby and Hank
Cindy, Anna Banana and Link-de
RIP Libby and Hank

http://www.dockdogs.com
http://www.chaseawayk9cancer.org
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Re: Ask the Vet with Dr. Mike Davis 1/19-1/31

Postby flowerpower » Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:42 pm

Wow, scary moment, but I am glad he recovered finally. It did make me wonder, though, are dogs that undergo extreme physical excercise more prone to vomit and aspirating?
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