3rd sled dog dies on Yukon Quest race trail

The third dog to die running the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog race likely breathed in its own vomit, but officials cannot be sure until test results come back.

In a news release Friday, race officials said the dog, which died Thursday,also had stomach ulcers, which may have contributed to its death. A necropsywill be doneto determine what caused the dog's death, but it could be three weeks before results are known from further tests.

The six-year-old female dog, named Hope,was on the team of Alaskan musher Kelley Griffin, who continued to race and finished in 14th place.

Race officials said Hope died between the Chena Hotsprings and North Pole, Alaska, on Thursday.

Two other dogs died earlier in the 1,600-kilometre race, which began Feb. 10 in Whitehorse.

A five-year-old female dog, Jewel, who wason the team of Japanese musher Yuka Honda choked to death on its own vomit after Honda lost her team on the second day of the race.

Honda carried on,making it as far as the midway point of Dawson City, where she scratched.

The other dog to die belonged to rookie Alaskan musher Brent Sass, who went on to finish the race.Melville, a six-year-old male, died after ingesting a piece of harness or some other material.

There are still teams on the trail, including the Yukon's Kyla Boivin.

Defending champion Lance Mackey won the race for the third time in a row, setting a new record for the fastest time to run from Whitehorse to Fairbanks.