A necropsy performed on an Iditarod sled dog, who died on Friday, revealed that the dog died from asphyxiation.
According to Sunday's Associated Press, the dog, named "Dorado," had been dropped from the sled dog race earlier in the week, and left at the village of Unalakleet, Alaska.
Sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, drifting snow created by strong winds, buried the dog, smothering him. Dorado, along with the other dropped dogs being cared for, had last been checked on at 3 a.m.
On Saturday, race officials stated that Dorado died from, "asphyxiation as the result of being buried by snow in severe wind conditions."
The five-year-old dog had been on Paige Drobny's team, but was dropped from the race after he failed to perform as well as the rest of his team.
According to the Alaska Dispatch, "the entire Iditarod family is mourning this loss."
Dorado's death is the first dog death, during the Iditarod, in four years.
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