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Temperatures can dip to -40-degrees F. While dogs run best at night, temperatures need to climb to just above 0 for optimal performance, explains Dr. Vern Otte.

There are 23 checkpoints for the sled dog teams. The teams may stay anywhere from two minutes to 24 hours. An average stay is six to eight hours.

Duluth, Ga. -- Merial and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have worked out a new system to ease the shortage of its heartworm treatment Immiticide, the company reports.

Mushers are required to take three breaks, two of which must be for eight hours.

Sometimes attending veterinarians camped out in tents, and other times they sought refuge in a school gymnasium. On those special nights, it was truly a room with a view.

Veterinary care is an important element of the race, says Dr. Vern Otte. An estimated 20 percent of the dogs dropped out of the race from a host of problems -- from illness and injury to not having the stamina or will to finish the 1,150-mile race.

The elements in Alaska can be brutal. In most cases veterinarians pack their own clothing, sleeping bags and medical supplies.

Each of the Iditarod teams started with 16 dogs.

The Iditarod has been dubbed "the last great race on earth."

When it comes to the health of the sled dogs, veterinarians frequently monitor for dehydration, which is common. Diarrhea is another ailment due to the estimated 10,000 calories consumed by each dog every day.

More than 70 sled dog teams competed in this year's famed race in Alaska.

Dr. Vern Otte was looking for a new hobby. He found it in a remote part of Alaska caring for the sled dog teams as they raced into his checkpoint.

Two studies focus on motivations for entering and leaving rural practice.

Veterinarians play a crucial role in assessing the health condition of these animals, says Dr. Vern Otte. The dogs are expected to race around the clock in six- to eight-hour increments.

From April to September in Alaska, nature puts on a light show. The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are most active late at night or early in the morning.

Boston -- Devocalizing a dog or cat without medical cause will be a felony in Massachusetts if Gov. Deval Patrick signs a newly presented bill into law.

Broken Bow, Neb. -- Response Products voluntarily recalled two lots of its Advanced Cetyl M Joint Action Formula for Dogs due to possible Salmonella contamination from an ingredient manufactured by a Nevada supplier.

Ithaca, N.Y. -- Cornell University is close to finalizing its collaboration with a new veterinary education program in Hong Kong.

Conference officials unveiled the Washington D.C. area as the exciting new convention site for the CVC group.

Baltimore -- "Perhaps more than at any other time in our history, veterinary medicine is at a turning point where we can make a huge difference."

AgriLabs introduces two $5,000 awards for professional-development training in large-animal medicine.

Ames, Iowa -- The search is officially underway in the search for the next dean of Iowa State University?s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Photo gallery: 6 toxic springtime plants (Lily of the valley)

The online review site makes announcement after veterinarian's class-action.

Columbus, Ohio -- Two veterinarians were named to the new 13-member livestock care board approved by Ohio voters in November 2009 and clearly defined by state legislators just last week.

Davis, Calif. -- Researchers led by a veterinary endocrinologist at University of California-Davis have shown that bariatric surgery can quickly turn around the onset of Type 2 diabetes, even before weight loss.

West Lafayette, Ind. -- The Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine will offer free eye exams for certified service dogs.

The Five looks at new flea-product labeling, a shark-wrestling veterinarian, and expert advice on marketing and client communication.

Swindon, Wiltshire, U.K. -- The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) announces that a united effort by teams across the United States, Europe and the Middle East has produced the first songbird genome map -- that of the zebra finch.

Oklahoma City, Okla. -- A bill allowing non-DVMs to float horses? teeth if they meet state certification requirements passed the Oklahoma Senate March 31.