FL-1000: Happy dogs and veterinarians

Å være veterinær på Finnmarksløpet er en glad-sak. Hundrevis av glade hunder skal sjekkes mens glade kjørere ser på.

Does the dog have sore muscles or joints? Is it limping? What about its breath and temperature? Veterinarian Kine Jøraholmen from Alta works thoroughly and systematically. The dogs are checked at every check point. Hundreds of paws, legs and muscles are streched and controlled every day. In total the veterinarians do approx 7000 consultations within the week of the race. The 11 veterinarians who work during the race have hectic but nice job.

- We meet only happy dogs and mushers, even though we sometimes meet sore joints and shoulder, says Kine Jøraholmen. The whole experience is as much an adventure as a job. Chief veterinarian Therese Berger adds: - I want to stress that the mushers themselves are extremely good at taking care of their dogs. It is special to watch all these tough people when they care for their dogs at the check points. Often they forget about their own needs because they concentrate so much on the well-being of their animals.