Table 5.

Injury prevention and treatment

Anatomical location	Injury prevention or treatment measures applied
Neck, shoulder, thoracic limb muscles	None, no neckline, change harness, massage/stretching, hyperoxygenated peanut oil and rosemary oil extracta, essential oil of wintergreenb, peanut oil and rosemary extractsc, and emu oild, coat, heat, heat and ice, decrease travel speed, coats on in any windy weather, change harness, change position on gangline intermittently
Carpi and tarsi	None, massage/stretching, hyperoxygenated peanut oil and rosemary oil extracta, essential oil of wintergreenb, peanut oil and rosemary extractsc, and emu oild, neoprene wrap
Lumbar muscles, pelvic limb muscles, stifles	None, massage/stretching, hyperoxygenated peanut oil and rosemary oil extracta, essential oil of wintergreenb, peanut oil and rosemary extractsc, and emu oild, coats, coat and heat, change harness, change position on gangline intermittently
Feet (thoracic and pelvic)	None, trim nails, massage/stretching, menthole, massage/stretching and hyperoxygenated peanut oil and rosemary oil extracta, essential oil of wintergreenb, peanut oil and rosemary extractsc, and emu oild
Swollen feet	None, trim nails, boot liners, massage, hyperoxygenated peanut oil and rosemary oil extracta, essential oil of wintergreenb, peanut oil and rosemary extractsc, and emu oild, 50:50 mix menthole and sulfur powderf
Moist feet	None, drop dog, trim nails, massage, menthole, 50:50 menthole and sulfur powderf
Splits and cracks in feet	None, trim nails, zinc oxide with triple antibioticg, thuja zinc oxideh, iodinei, petrolatumj, menthole, clindamycink

Notes: Various strategies were applied alone or in multiple combinations. There was a wide variability of responses obtained, and thus, all strategies are listed. An association between any strategy with injured and/or dropped dogs could not be detected in this study. Thus, specific recommendations on the application of these strategies cannot be made.

^aAlgyval; Massage Balm for Dogs, Alpine Outfitters, San Clemente, CA, USA;

^bZalox; Ten Squared Racing, Two Harbors, MN, USA;

^cAccede; Ten Squared Racing, Two Harbors, MN, USA;

^dMushers First Aid; Mountain Ridge, Shirley Mills, MN, USA;

^eGold Bond Blue Foot Powder; Chattem Inc., Chatanooga, TN, USA;

^fSulfur powder precipitated, 500 mg; Cole-Parmer Instrument Company LLC, Court Vernon Hills, IL, USA;

^gWeb-Med; Mountain Ridge, Shirley Mills, MN, USA;

^hPink ointment; Iditarod Headquarters, Wasilla, AK, USA;

ⁱIodine 1% ointment; California Veterinary Supply, Pahrump, NV, USA;

^jVaseline jelly, white petrolatum Usp (100%); Unilever United States, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA;

^kClindamycin hydrochloride capsules, USP [300 mg/capsule]; Ranbaxy Inc., a Sun Pharma Company, Princeton, NJ, USA.