Rhabdomyolysis [rhab-doe-my-AL-uh-sis], or rhabdo for short, occurs when muscles damaged during strenuous activity release proteins into the bloodstream. As these toxins travel to other organs, they can be deadly. Apart from working dogs or racing hounds, canine rhabdo is rare — except in sled dogs.

Ever since rhabdo was implicated in sled dog deaths in the 1980s and ’90s, it’s sometimes referred to as sled dog myopathy. With growing awareness of other risk factors, rhabdo incidence is down, but it still crops up in sled dog teams.

Now, veterinary researchers are collecting blood, urine and saliva samples from affected sled dogs to see if genetics plays a role.  If so, the information gleaned may help root out rhabdo at its source.