Blogger :
Pet Connection Blog
Category :
Dog Activities
Blogged date : 2008 Oct 20
Scientists studying sled dogs have come away marveling at their abilities. From Discovery:
Alaskan huskies that participate in the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race must run 1,100 miles while enduring heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit and winds up to 60 miles per hour, all of which earn the hearty canines status as the world’s premier ultra-endurance animal athletes.
How do they do it? New research suggests the canines are superior to most other mammals, including humans, in at least three key areas: They are unusually adept at adapting to exercise, they have superior aerobic capacity and are unusually efficient in using food as fuel.
Here’s the rest. In one of our books, “Why Do Dogs Drink From the Toilet?,” we asked the Iditarod’s top vet how the pads of these great athletes can stand the abuse. They get some help from booties, but pretty much they’re just tough, toes to tail.
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