Meet the Vet Team
Chief Veterinarian—Dr. Sergio Maffi
Dr. Maffi is an Italian veterinarian and 1987 graduate of the University of Milan. He is the medical director and owner of a companion animal veterinary clinic specializing in sporting and working dog medicine and surgery. He holds licenses to practice medicine in Norway, Sweden, and temporarily in Alaska. He is a board member of the ISDVMA, and a founding member of several national and international veterinary associations dedicated to snow and dryland sled dog medicine. Over the past 17 years, he has served as Chief Veterinarian, Trail Veterinarian, and WADA Doping Control Officer for numerous snow and dryland mushing events worldwide. In addition, he has organized veterinary services for major national, European, and World Championships and he has worked in leading roles for long-distance races such as the Polardistans, Bergebyløpet, and Vildmarksracet, as well as serving as a Trail Veterinarian on the Yukon Quest, Finnmarksløpet, and Femundløpet. He has authored scientific studies, lectured internationally, and supervised doctoral theses at Italian universities. Beyond his professional activities, he volunteers with animal welfare campaigns in India, South Africa, Romania, and Spain to provide medical care for stray dogs. Dr. Maffi is fluent in English as well as his native Italian. Dr. Maffi enjoys hiking in the Alps, relaxing at home among the Franciacorta vineyards with his wife, Tania, and their dog, Amala, and playing rugby for charity.
Race Veterinarian- Dr. Alison French
Dr. French is a 1999 graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Veterinary Medicine. Since 2003, she has owned and operated her own general practice in nearby Rhinelander, where she raised her family and continues to care for a multitude of non-human critters. Dr. French is trained in Traditional Chinese medicine, and is certified in acupuncture. Most recently she has extended her talents driving horses in harness to that of the treating sled dogs in harness by serving as a Race Veterinarian for the USFSS North American Dryland Championships in Minocqua in 2024.
Race Veterinarian- Dr. Jorge Luque
Dr. Luque is a 1991 graduate of the Veterinary College at the University of Córdoba, Spain. He has co-owned his own clinical practice since 1999. Dr. Luque is certified in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and chiropractic medicine. His experience in sled dog medicine since 2009 includes positions as a Chief or Trail Veterinarian on multiple races in Spain, France, Italy, Norway, and Sweden including the Finnmarksløpet, Femundløpet, and races in the Pyrenes as well as IFSS European and World Championships on snow and dryland. He has given numerous lectures on canine sports medicine, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation in Europe and he is an active member of the ISDVMA and numerous other Spanish, European, and International veterinary organizations dedicated to those disciplines within canine sports medicine. He is fluent in English as well as his native Spanish.
Race Veterinarian- Dr. Linn Vada
Dr. Vada has been practicing veterinary medicine in Norway since 2003. She has owned her own small animal practice since 2013. She also is trained in animal chiropractic, and she teaches students in animal welfare. Dr. Vada has been serving as a sled dog race veterinarian since 2014. While she has years of experience at many races in Norway, most of her experience has been with the Finnmarksløpet and Femundløpet marathon races. Recently, she has added multiple European and World Championship IFSS dryland races to her résumé. She is fluent in English as well as the Scandinavian languages.
Race Veterinarian- Dr. Jerry Vanek
Dr. Vanek has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1988, and he has been a Chief or Trail Veterinarian on over 130 sled dog races in 13 countries on 3 continents since 1992 including multiple snow and dryland IFSS championships. He is licensed to practice in Minnesota, Norway, and Wisconsin and temporarily in Alaska and Ontario. He is supposed to be retired. He got his first husky in 1958 and in his youth he was a competitive sprint race musher. He is a current board member of the ISDVMA as well as a Charter Member, life member, and former president. He has authored or edited over 100 articles, books, or proceedings, and presented roughly 400 lectures on sled dogs and canine sports medicine to veterinarians, mushers, students, and the public around the globe. He is certified in canine physiotherapy and chiropractic, and he is fluent in English, American, Canadian, sarcasm, and profanity.