Iditarod released a statement Friday evening stating that Dan Klein has scratched earlier in the day pursuant to rule 42. No further information was given at the time of the release.
Rule 42 is the expired dog section of the race rules. The rule reads as follows:
"Rule 42 -- Expired Dog: The Iditarod holds firmly that no dog should suffer harm or death in connection to the race. However, it is understood that, in rare circumstances, dog harm or death can occur through no fault of the musher. Our policy is therefore, that:
any dog death that occurs during the conduct of the race will result in immediate (a) voluntary scratch by the musher with right of assistance under Rule 10 or (b) withdrawal with right of assistance under Rule 51 (such withdrawal does not imply any deliberate misconduct or violation as set forth in Rule 51), unless the death was caused, as determined by the Race Marshal, to be due to the inherent risks of wilderness travel (example, moose encounter), nature of trail, or force beyond the control of the musher (these causes are all referred to as an “Unpreventable Hazard”).
Any dog that expires on the trail must be covered and taken by the musher to a checkpoint. The musher may transport the dog to either the checkpoint just passed, or the upcoming checkpoint. An expired dog report must be completed by the musher and presented to a race official along with the dog. At this time the musher shall scratch or be withdrawn from the race, except in the case of an Unpreventable Hazard.
This rule remains under consideration.
All dog deaths will be treated as a priority, with every effort being made to determine the cause of death in a thorough and reliable manner.
The Chief Veterinarian will cause a necropsy to be carried out by a board certified veterinary pathologist at the earliest opportunity and shall make every attempt to determine the cause of death.
If a board certified veterinary pathologist is not available to perform the necropsy within the time frame to preserve the tissues appropriately, (as determined by the Race Marshal), the gross necropsy and tissue collection will be performed by a trail veterinarian following the guidelines in the Musher and Veterinary Handbook. These tissues will then be examined by a board certified pathologist. A musher will remain at the initial reporting checkpoint for up to, but no longer than, twelve hours to commence the investigation. If the Race Marshal determines that the dog death is due to an Unpreventable Hazard, the musher will be allowed to continue the race immediately upon this determination being made. This waiting period is not to be used as a punishment of the musher. If a determination of an Unpreventable Hazard is made, a musher can then continue the race, but he/she must remain available for future communication to assist in the investigation. The musher and or his/her representative have the option to be present during the trail evaluation and necropsy.
All dog deaths will be reviewed within 30 days of the race’s conclusion by a Dog Care Panel, consisting of three independent investigators, with consultation from the Race Marshal, Chief Veterinarian and any other professional experts deemed necessary by that panel. The musher involved will also be consulted and allowed to present input to the Dog Care Panel. The Dog Care Panel shall issue a report to the ITC Board discussing its conclusions on the cause of the dog death in order to gain insights that may help shape future race rules or protocols to achieve zero dog deaths. The Dog Care Panel shall also make a determination in its report on whether disqualification is warranted under the standards set forth below.
The ITC Board of Directors will establish the Dog Care Panel prior to the race start.
Dog deaths resulting in disqualification, as determined by the Dog Care Panel, are:
Due to musher neglect, cruel, inhumane and/or abusive treatment.
Cause of death is heat stress, hyperthermia or hypothermia.
A musher will be disqualified if he/she had been advised in writing by a race veterinarian or judge to drop the dog at a previous checkpoint, but opted not to do so, unless the cause of death is clearly unrelated to this written recommendation.
It is the policy of the ITC to report a dog death to the public in a timely fashion. The ITC will accomplish this by:
The Race Marshal shall immediately issue a press release to members of the media identifying the dog’s death
Immediately following the gross necropsy, the Race Marshal will notify the musher of the results and will issue a press release containing the findings and the circumstances of the death."
ETA: Klein was running dogs from Ryan Redington's kennel.
Edited:
Iditarod has released a statement on the death of dog Ventana from Daniel Klein's team:
"IDITAROD LIII MEDIA ADVISORY
Date: March 7, 2025
From: Warren Palfrey, Race Marshal, Iditarod Trail Committee
Anchorage, Alaska – At approximately 12:00 p.m. today, Ventana, a four-year-old female from the race team of Daniel Klein (bib #19), collapsed on the trail approximately 8 miles outside of the Galena checkpoint.
Attempts to revive Ventana were unsuccessful. Ventana has been flown to Anchorage where a necropsy will be conducted by a board-certified pathologist to make every attempt to determine the cause of death."
