Every year, the presidents of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America travel to the North Pole to do checkups and pre-flight examinations on Santa Claus’ reindeer. They want to be sure the animals are in top condition to pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve.
The veterinarian with the help of the technician does a full-body examination of the reindeer that includes blood tests, X-rays, and inspection of their antlers, hooves and fur.
Santa’s magical reindeer crew also needs to be up to date on vaccines and have a veterinary inspection certificate, just like any other animal traveling across state lines or international borders.
Santa and the elves confirmed today from the North Pole, that all of his nine reindeer — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph — have been determined to be healthy by the AVMA veterinarian.
“Without my reindeer, there would be no Christmas, and without the help of veterinarians and technicians, my reindeer would not be ready for the big night,” Santa Claus said.
“The AVMA president and technician are on my ‘nice list’.”
They are all ready to pull Santa — with all the toys and gifts — on his sleigh all over the world on Christmas Eve.
The AVMA also shared that although there can only be one veterinarian and one veterinary technician on the official team at the North Pole, other veterinarians can help by being volunteers with Santa’s emergency staff on Christmas Eve.
Santa Claus told the veterinarian that kids have so many questions about his reindeer. Here are a few reindeer facts:
Most reindeer cannot fly, but Santa’s reindeer are special because they are magic and can fly very high and very far without getting tired. They are even tracked on Christmas Eve by satellite.
Santa feeds his reindeer hay and reindeer food. They occasionally get a graham cracker Christmas cookie as a treat that children have left out for them on Christmas Eve.
This is the reindeer’s favorite treat, and it helps boost their energy.
They also eat mosses, lichens and grass when they are not covered with snow. Reindeer eat hay any time they want, but Santa gives them their reindeer food twice a day.
Both male and female reindeer grow antlers.
Kids often ask how old Rudolph is. Because Rudolph is so magical, nobody really knows; he may even be as old as Santa. But Rudolph is healthy and he certainly can keep up with the younger reindeer.
Rudolph actually has a medical condition called nasus roseus (pronounced “NAY-suss ROSE-ee-us”) that makes his nose glow bright red like a light bulb. It does not hurt so do not worry.
And if you are familiar with the story of how Rudolph began to lead all the other reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh, you know that his glowing nose makes it possible for Santa Claus to deliver all the Christmas toys and gifts for all the boys and girls all over the world — whether there is a snow storm, blizzard, rain or heavy fog.
Reindeer can sleep any time of the day, but Santa’s reindeer generally sleep at night so they can train during the day — after all, they need to stay in shape to pull the sleigh for that long ride on Christmas Eve!
As their special trip gets closer, their schedules are altered so they can be as rested as possible to be able to pull Santa’s sleigh Christmas Eve.
It is a very long sleigh ride around the world. Santa Claus packs snacks and water for the reindeer when they are pulling the sled, so they do not get too hungry or thirsty on the trip. This helps keep their energy up.
Plus, they get to catch short naps on the rooftops while Santa is delivering the toys to all the good girls and boys.
Merry Christmas! Leave Santa a cookie and milk and, if you can, add a few graham cracker cookies as a treat for his reindeer.
On Christmas Eve maybe you will hear the reindeer hooves on your roof as Santa delivers Christmas toys or see the glow of Rudoph’s red nose.
