Dog paleofeces having undergone a drying process. Credit: Katharina Dulias - Nunalleq Aarchaeological site, Quinhagak, Alaska 
Ancient canine feces reveal 17th century sled dogs’ diet
Proteins from ancient frozen canine feces have been extracted for the first time ever to reveal more details about the diets of Arctic sled dogs and their relationship to people.
“The breakthrough could help scientists better understand our ancestors and what they fed their dogs as well as how dogs’ gastrointestinal health has evolved,” says UBC anthropologist Dr. Camilla Speller, senior author of the international study released today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
“The recovered proteins reveal that the sled dogs consumed muscle, bone, intestines and roe from a range of salmon species including Chinook, Sockeye, Coho and Chum,” says Dr. Speller.
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