Stomach bug took out 10 of Yukon musher Han Gatt's 16 dogs in Iditarod race

The partner of Whitehorse musher Hans Gatt says he scratched from the Iditarod sled dograce because more than half ofhis dog team was sick.

Gatt was hoping for a top 10 finish in the 1,600-kilometre race but scratchedWednesday morning.

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"He was really upset," saidSusie Rogan, who was en route to Alaska when she heard the news.

She saidshe sensed there was trouble early in the race.

"First day they were doing great, fat and healthy and happy, and everything looked really good."

But as Roganfollowed Gatt's team on the live tracker,she noticed they weretravelling for only50 or 70 kilometres before stopping for several hours. She said that's unusual, because training runs are longer than that.

"So I knew there was trouble."

Rogansaidby theNikolaicheckpoint,about 425 kilometres into the race, 10ofGatt's16 dogs sick with diarrheaor not eating.

"They weren't super sick, but you can't ask adog who's even a little sick to run another 750 miles [1,200 kilometres]," said Rogan. "And he'd already been babying them along."

Rogan has cancelled her plan to meet Gatt at the finish line in Nome, Alaska.

Still in the race is Tagish musher Michelle Phillips,currently in 18th position, and Whitehorse musher Rob Cooke,running in 66th place.

Today is the fifth day of therace. The winner is expected to reach the finish line by Monday.