This January will be held the 16th edition of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc, a sled race in which hundreds of dogs will take part. The veterinary team in charge of monitoring 4-legged competitors will deploy state-of-the-art equipment.”
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The veterinary team that must ensure the good health of the athlete dogs during La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc consists of 12 people: 9 veterinarians and 3 veterinary students. They will have a lot to do with the 500 quadrupeds expected on the starting line of this sleigh race, the 16th edition of which will take place from 11 to 22 January 2020.”
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Credit: Benoît Diacre
The mission of these veterinarians will be to:
Carry out the pre-race regulatory health checks Validate the participation of each dog after a complete clinical examination Monitor the state of health of the dogs during the race Intervene in case of emergency Ensure care at the end of each stage and give their recommendations
Credit: Vincent Piccerelle
As you will have understood, the health of animals guided by their mushers will have all the attention of veterinarians during these 12 days of competition. And to do their job, they will benefit from state-of-the-art means: X-ray equipment (digital radios on a flat sensor), ultrasound and blood tests provided by the Scil laboratory, probiotics and phytostandard standardized plant extracts made available to them by the Wamine laboratory.”
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Credit: Vincent Piccerelle
They will particularly monitor possible manifestations of osteoarthritis in sled dogs. They recommend, to prevent this kind of disorder, to ensure that each animal has a healthy lifestyle (recovery, weight control …), enjoy massages, receive complementary foods such as Flexadin® Advanced, anti-inflammatory and painkillers. Sprains, tendonitis, digestive disorders and pad lesions will also be scrutinized by the veterinary team, who will quickly provide adequate care.”
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The first edition of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc was organized in January 2005. The last 2 were won by the Frenchman Rémy Coste and his team of Huskies / Greyhounds / Braques crusaders, also victorious in 2016.”
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Credit: Vincent Piccerelle
