(CNN)Cyclist Kateřina Nash has avoided a four-year ban after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) linked her positive drug test with medication she had been administering to her dog.
Nash, who has represented the Czech Republic in mountain biking and cross-country skiing at the Summer and Winter Olympics, tested positive for the appetite stimulant capromorelin in an out-of-competition test last October.
According to USADA, capromorelin is not specifically listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of prohibited substances but is considered a "non-specified substance" in the class of peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics.
It is prohibited at all times under USADA and International Cycling Union (UCI) rules.
However, a USADA investigation into Nash's case found that the 45-year-old had become contaminated with capromorelin while giving her dog prescription medication.
"She was administering the medication orally to her dog each day during the final weeks of her pet's life in an effort to maintain weight," USADA said in a statement on Thursday.
Nash competes in the mixed team relay at the cyclocross world championships in Fayetteville, North Carolina, last year.
"Due to the difficulty of administering oral pet medication, Nash would frequently come into contact with the liquid medication via her hands, and the medication bottle did not warn users about the risk of contamination from transdermal exposure.
"USADA, together with la