Jo Pimentel talks with Matthew Failor’s dog Zepplin during the Iditarod vet checks - Wasilla, AK 
Veterinarians check Iditarod dogs’ health ahead of the race
Norm Griggs squatted in the snow on Wednesday morning, lifting the lips of a sled dog so he could check its gums. If they're pale pink, it could indicate the dog is anemic, explained the veterinarian. If they're tacky, the animal may be dehydrated.
He unwrapped the stethoscope from this neck to listen to the dog's heart and lungs before moving his hands firmly across its legs to check its muscles and assess its flexibility.
The sled dog and Iditarod contender, a yearling named Coal from musher Charley Bejna's kennel, was cleared.
"These dogs are rock solid," Dr. Griggs — a volunteer Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race vet — said during Wednesday's vet check, the final chance mushers have to get mandatory dog physicals done before the long-distance race to Nome that begins in Anchorage on Saturday.