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Reviews
Sled Dogs (2016)
Omitted facts about bad veterinary care in Iditarod
Unfortunately, in the film, claims made by Stu Nelson, the Iditarod's chief veterinarian, aren't corrected by anyone giving the facts. He portrays the Iditarod as an event in which dogs get good veterinary care. They don't.
Mushers often blast through checkpoints, so dogs don't get physical examinations. In some cases, dogs who have been at checkpoints for hours have died soon after leaving.
Iditarod veterinarians allow sick and injured dogs to race. In a recent Iditarod, one of Lance Mackey's male dogs ripped out all of his 16 toenails trying to get to a female who was in heat. This type of broken toenail is extremely painful. But veterinarians allowed Mackey to continue to race him. Imagine the agony the dog was forced to endure.
Here's another example: Veterinarians have allowed dogs with kennel cough to race in the Iditarod even though dogs with this disease should be kept warm and given lots of rest. Strenuous exercise can cause lung damage, pneumonia and even death. To make matters worse, kennel cough is a highly contagious disease that normally lasts from 10 to 21 days.
Nelson claimed that 30 percent of the dogs are dropped at checkpoints. That's inaccurate. On average, fifty percent of the dogs are left at checkpoints because they're injured, sick or exhausted.
FACTS: Sled Dog Action Coalition
The Great Alone (2015)
Movie glorifies animal abuse
The movie doesn't give important facts about Lance Mackey. In a recent Iditarod, one of Lance Mackey's male dogs ripped out all of his 16 toenails trying to get to a female who was in heat. This type of broken toenail is extremely painful. Mackey, a four-time Iditarod winner, said he was too stubborn to leave this dog at a checkpoint and veterinarians allowed Mackey to continue to race him. Imagine the agony the dog was forced to endure.
In the 2015 Iditarod, two of Mackey's dogs died. His dog Wyatt died after having been forced to run in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest just weeks before the Iditarod.
Lance Mackey has 120 dogs who are forced to live at the end of short chains. Chaining is cruel, which is why it's been banned or restricted in many places.
Learn more: Sled Dog Action Coalition