Letter: The Nome Serum Run saved lives, Iditarod has cost at least 150 dogs theirs

Condolences to the family of Jirdes Winther Baxter, who led a long and storied life. The delivery of the diphtheria serum that saved her life became known as the Nome Serum Run. The Serum Run was a one-time occurrence, prompted by a public health crisis. Today, lifesaving medicine is delivered to places like Nome by air.

Although today’s Iditarod dog sled race wasn’t prompted by the Serum Run, race organizers sometimes cite Balto, the lead dog who ran the final 55 miles. Yet this marketing spin ignores the suffering and deaths of dogs today.

The 1925 serum run to Nome was 674 miles; Twenty dog teams (approximately 150 dogs in total) ran in relays. Today’s Iditarod is nearly 1,000 miles long, with the dogs forced to run more than 100 miles per day. Even the most energetic dog wouldn’t choose to run 100 miles a day while pulling a heavy sled through some of the worst conditions on the planet. Many pull muscles, incur stress fractures or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses or bleeding stomach ulcers. Aspiration pneumonia — which can develop after dogs inhale their own vomit — is the number one cause of death on the trail. 

The Nome Serum Run saved lives. The Iditarod has cost at least 150 dogs theirs.

Jennifer O’Connor, PETA Foundation

Norfolk, Virginia