Oklahoma State University Researcher Tries to Unlock Sled Dogs’ Metabolism
This is an interesting article but does it make anyone else’s skin crawl? I’m all for understanding as much as possible from watching dogs but notice that the US military has sunk a LOT of money in this research with the idea that they’ll use the findings on soldiers. Haven’t we had enough experimenting on soldiers?
As I read through this article I kept seeing visions of genetic engineering on soldiers as the emotionally-detached generals and others with power over the poor enlisted folks looked on. So I kept asking myself how could the military use this info and I kept coming back to the only way they could realistically hope to use the research would be to physically alter soldiers’ bodies, particularly their metabolisms. I sure hope I’m wrong…
Thanks to the New York Times for this article.
Researchers Seek to Demystify the Metabolic Magic of Sled Dogs
By DOUGLAS ROBSON
Published: May 6, 2008When humans engage in highly strenuous exercise day after day, they start to metabolize the body’s reserves, depleting glycogen and fat stores. When cells run out of energy, a result is fatigue, and exercise grinds to a halt until those sources are replenished.
Dogs are different, in particular the sled dogs that run the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. This is a grueling 1,100-mile race, and studies show that the dogs somehow change their metabolism during the race.
Dr. Michael S. Davis, an associate professor of veterinary physiology at Oklahoma State University and an animal exercise researcher, said: “Before the race, the dogs’ metabolic makeup is similar to humans. Then suddenly they throw a switch — we don’t know what it is yet — that reverses all of that. In a 24-hour period, they go back to the same type of metabolic baseline you see in resting subjects. But it’s while they are running 100 miles a day.”Dr. Davis, who studied the sled dogs, found they did not chew up their reserves and avoided the worst aspects of fatigue. He is pursuing the research for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which gave him a $1.4 million grant in 2003 to study the physiology of fatigue resistance of sled dogs.
Dr. Davis, who is teaming with researchers at Texas A&M in a $300,000 Darpa grant, awarded last fall, has been traveling to Alaska for years to learn why the sled dogs are “fatigue-proof.”
“They have a hidden strategy that they can turn on,” he said. “We are confident that humans have the capacity for that strategy. We have to figure out how dogs are turning it on to turn it on in humans.”
Researchers have not demonstrated that ability in other species, but Dr. Davis said migratory mammals or birds could have it. Nor is it similar to the mammalian diving reflex that lets aquatic mammals like seals, otters and dolphins stay under water for long periods of time by slowing metabolic rates.
“The level of metabolism is staying the same,” Dr. Davis said. “It’s not slowing down their calorie burn rate.”
In fact, sled dogs in long-distance racing typically burn 240 calories a pound per day for one to two weeks nonstop. The average Tour de France cyclist burns 100 calories a pound of weight daily, researchers say.
How the dogs maintain such a high level of caloric burn for an extended period without tapping into their reserves of fat and glycogen (and thus grinding to a halt like the rest of us) is what makes them “magical,” Davis says.
If Dr. Davis and the Texas A&M researchers identify the biomarker, or “switch,” that could help the military understand and develop ways to control and prevent the physiological effects of fatigue in strenuous cases like combat.
“Soldiers’ duties often require extreme exertion, which causes them to become fatigued,” Jan Walker of Darpa wrote in an e-mail message. “Severe fatigue can result in a compromised immune system, making soldiers more susceptible to illness or injury.”
Many mushers have reported that their dogs lose a lot of weight racing in the Iditarod. The dogs aren’t “fatigue-proof” and often get worn out by racing. Their copper enzymes get depleted, which leads to anemia and fatigue. For the facts, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website, http://www.helpsleddogs.org.
I do enjoy Sci-Fi films of genetically engineered soldier/zombies, particularly offering the chance for Kurt Russell to star in a movie and only utter a single line of dialogue (Soldier, 1998). However, the sled dog work is pretty far from that realm. I can assure you that if application of our results was believed to require genetic engineering, the research effort would be dropped like a hot potato. Unethical, expensive, impractical, etc. In fact, we believe the opposite to be true: That the capacity for this type of metabolism already exists in ALL humans (not just soldiers) and, for that matter, most other mammals. The question is how to turn it on or, to be more precise, how to turn it on without spending hours and hours and hours logging hundreds to thousands of training miles. We may discover that such a strategy is absolutely required. If so, then we’ll be stuck with this type of metabolism being limited to sled dogs and the occassional human athlete that has nothing else to do but run. However, if we discover that there are more efficient ways of accessing this type of metabolism, not only will soldiers and professional athletes benefit, but so will recreational athletes and even the general public seeking to combat obesity. Meanwhile, dogs in general and sled dog in particular benefit by the veterinary community learning more and more about how they work, and we spin off findings to be applied directly to our own pets.
Mike,
Thanks for barking in more explanation of the aims of the research., Its always helpful to hear more from the researchers,
Hi, Mike,
Glad you’re participating in this discussion. I was looking at an abstract of your article [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18341444?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum] and noticed this: “Both training and exercise caused significant decreases in PCV and hemoglobin concentration and significant increases in total WBC count.” These sound like symptoms of anemia which you say may be due to “acute blood loss secondary to gastrointestinal tract bleeding.” Rather than Metabolic Magic these sound like Sick Puppies.
The research being conducted by Dr. Davis, et.al, is a malodorus exercise. The bottom line is $$$ in the form of a grant. In my opinion, the grant should have been awarded for the study of miscreants, also known as mushers. These barbaric troglodytes need to be made run until they are seriously injured or killed. Now that would be a great study for Dr. Davis!
Bob, I encourage you to take a look at the whole article. Unfortunately, when publishers limit you to a 250 word abstract, key items get omitted. The decrease in PCV in response to training is probably a positive effect of training, in that it reflects a relative increase in blood volume, rather than a loss of red blood cells. Increased blood volume = increased blood flow to muscle and everything else during exercise. The decrease in PCV in response to acute exercise may be more of the same, but also may be due to gastric ulcers. The samples described in the study were collected prior to the generalized use of anti-ulcer medications in these dogs (an offshoot of some of our studies on gastric ulcers in sled dogs). A small study we conducted a few years ago on dogs that DID receive antiulcer medications during a race found a much smaller decrease in PCV, indicating to me 2 important points: First, that additional adaptation and conditioning occurs even apparently fully conditioned dogs during the races; and second, that the antiulcer medications may be working as intended, making the sport safer for the dogs.
This is “research” for the sake of researchers. It’s that simple.
Study this, Dr. Davis!
http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=8286742&ClientType=Printable
Valley officials rescue 25 emaciated dogs
By Megan Baldino
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
PALMER, Alaska — Mat-Su Animal Control officials say they have uncovered one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they have ever seen.
Officials found 25 dogs, many of them nearly starved to death and some chained to a short wire, left in a remote location with no food or water. Investigators seized the animals over the last two days.
Dr. Katrina Zwolinski is still disturbed by the condition of the dogs taken from a kennel on Lazy Mountain over the last two days.
One dog did not survive.
“It was evident it had died in the previous day or so,” she said.
Animal Care Chief Dave Allison says all were emaciated, dehydrated and clearly neglected.
“If you put your hands on them you can feel pretty much every bone in their body,” he said.
Allison says the dogs’ teeth are broken from trying to eat rocks too.
Doug Bartko owns the dogs. He says it’s been a rough spring.
“My system broke down and I was just in the process of getting it back up again,” he said.
That system is clearly flawed, even for Bartko. His food supply has been rotted salmon heads.
It appears Bartko let things go too far and it’s not the first time. Court records show he was cited for animal cruelty back in 2006.
Iditarod officials say back in 1983, Bartko was disqualified for not adequately caring for his team.
Bartko claims Animal Control overreacted and he will try to get his dogs back.
But it could be too late if some of his dogs even survive.
Bartko was cited for five counts of interference with an investigation, ten counts of failure to provide humane animal care and his kennel license has been revoked.
Additional charges are pending.
The borough plans to retain the seized animals.
Contact Megan Baldino at mbaldino@ktuu.com
Thanks, Mike,
I appreciate your frequent use of “may” in interpreting your results. Isn’t it unusual for young, healthy dogs to have ulcers? It appears, both from your research and other materials, that ulcers are common among sled dogs. Giving them ulcer medication then compelling them to participate in activities that aggravatate their medical condition seems counter to the animal’s best interests; or are those interests considered beyong their ability to run and pull a sled?
If these dogs require ulcer medication to perform at the required level, perhaps that level of activity is beyond their normal capabilities. If my dog had ulcers, I do not believe that I would consider racing her over 1000 miles.
I can’t help but feel that your research *may* contribute to animal abuse, or be used to support continued abuse. I am continually surprised that Iditarod dogs drop dead so frequently compared to the normal population of dogs of their general age and physical condition.
Charlene Inglis is right on target with her comments. It does not take a rocket scientist to see what is going on with this so-called “research.” The entire study is flawed. These dogs are not good subjects as they are starved (see Inglis’ article) and abused their entire lives. Dr. Davis needs to be aware he is not doing the canine world any favors. Help them where they need it….stop them from being raced until they drop! Mushers are the dregs of the earth and they only show people what they want them to see. Once again, the study is flawed and $$$ is the only object.
No amount of research will show what true documentation with photos, video, and honest, unbiased eyewitness accounts show: The dogs are abused before, during, and after the race. Greed and egos are what keep this spectacle of cruelty going.
You people are so…biased? Not really the right word…would you say I am a dog killer? A dog abuser? I am a 14 year old who has logged several thousand miles with my sled dogs and yet they are happy and healthy. Charlene posted an article about 1 person out of several thousand who run dogs. I happen to have met that guy before and I had no idea what he did to his dogs. Most sled dogs are not starved…my 19 dogs get about 20 pounds of food a day. They are not abused either. If I starved my dogs they would not be able to compete in a race. Hello people!!! Also, greed has nothing to do with racing sled dogs. It cost easliy 20,000 dollars to run Iditarod and the majority of finishers only get 1000 dollars. You can NOT run dogs and be in it for the money, sorry, not possible.