Yukon Quest dog died of stomach hemorrhage
Dog from Sébastien Dos Santos Borges's team appeared well cared for, vets say
A dog on the team of a French musher racing in the Yukon Quest died of a stomach hemorrhage, according to preliminary results of a post-mortem exam.
In a statement issued Thursday, Yukon Quest officials say the race's head veterinarian Cristina Hansen got a call at about 3 p.m. Wednesday from the Carmacks checkpoint that Polar, a dog on Sébastien Dos Santos Borges' team, had died.
Dos Santos Borges scratched from the race at Carmacks.
This was Dos Santos Borges's first time running the Yukon Quest. On the race's website, he said the greater part of his dogs are from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Officials say preliminary results of the necropsy showed the dog had died of an acute gastric hemorrhage. They say the dog was otherwise in excellent condition and appeared well cared for, and that there were no signs of mistreatment.
The final results of the necropsy are expected to be available to Dos Santos Borges in the next two weeks.