Neverland-Retrievers

On the Friday the 19^th, we completed the second breeding by surgical AI. After seeing how easy the eTCI went on Thursday, I was seriously thinking of telling Dr. Rickard to repeat the same procedure on Friday. However, she previously mentioned that one advantage of the Surgical AI was her ability to visually inspect the uterine body during the procedure. I believe we made the right decision, in this case, because Dr. Rickard found some scar tissue inside and thickening of the right uterine horn, See Image below.

The scar tissue appears to be in the area where the C-Section was performed last April, when the first litter was whelped. Dr. Rickard showed me a picture taken during the procedure with the assistant’s cell phone camera. The scar tissue is preventing normal flow between the left and right horns. It is very unlikely that any semen was able to get into the right uterine during the eTCI performed on Thursday. The overall appearance of the r. uterine is also thicker compared to the l. uterine, which appear normal and healthy. She was only able to inject a small amount of semen, ~.5 ml, into the right side because the uterine would not distend. The ovary on the right appear normal, so it is possible that ovulation has occured.

So what does this mean? Here are a few possibilities:

1) No eggs develop in the r. uterine due to the scarring or thickening, but some develop in the left horn.

2) Eggs may be fertilized, attach to the r. uterine and develop, but Tink needs a c-section to whelp.

3) Same as 2, but the r. uterine expands and whelping occurs naturally.

We really won’t know anything more until the ultrasound on Feb 15^th. As Dr. Rickard said, “We have to let nature take its course”. We’ve done everything humanly possible.

One final comment, I am very happy with Dr. Rickard. She never fails to answer my questions, her technique is excellent, and her manner is very professional. The incision from the surgical AI is hardly noticeable and Tink is doing very well. I can fully recommend her to anyone else going through this same process.

…P

Its been about two weeks since we first noticed Tink had come into season. The vets and I have been tracking her progesterone levels starting on day 5, see chart below.

From the blood test results, it appears Tink ovulated on Monday evening, Jan 15th. A final test the next day confirmed elevated P-levels of ~10 ng/ml. We scheduled the breeding for Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, we went in for the first breeding. Dr. Rickard performed an Endoscopic Transcervical Insemination (eTCI) with the frozen semen from Ferro. I was present during the entire procedure and could easily see, on the TV monitor, the passage of the catheter into the cervical canal. Dr. Rickard then attached a syringe with the semen to the outside end of the catheter and slowly pressed the contents into the cervical canal. The entire procedure took less than 30 mins. Afterwards, Dr. Rickard showed me a drop of semen under the microscope. They looked very active, swimming in straight lines, like little tadpoles. The motility was good.

Tomorrow we go back for the final breeding, which will be by surgical intra-uterine insemination. Unfortunately, this requires anesthesia and an incision in the skin. The main advantage of this procedure is the ability to see and directly inject the semen into each uterine horn, right at the source of the eggs from the ovaries.

If all goes well, an ultrasound exam will be performed on February 15^th to confirm the pregnancy. The expected whelping day is around March 19^th.

…P

I pleased to say, Tink has finally come into heat, almost a year (48 weeks) from the last cycle. I will begin progesterone testing next Monday 1/8/07. I am planning on testing every other day, including Sat the 13th and Mon the 15th, which is the day I expect her to ovulate. If everything goes as planned, Tink will be ready to breed on the 18th and 19th of January.

…P

I had the opportunity to see and visit with April and Al during the FCRSA Supported Entry on November 25. April was 7 months old at the time. She is developing nicely, with a great coat, good bone, excellent head and front. She already appears to be taller than Tink. I think she remembered me, but appears to be bonded with Al. April was entered in Sweeps and Regular Class, but only took a forth place in regular puppy class out of five girls entered.

Here are some pictures I took that day.

   

…P

It’s been a month since the PVGRC WC/WCX test. I’m embarrassed to say it took five attempts, but Tink finally passed. I don’t know why we had such a difficult time with this test, especially since Tink was four for four on the AKC JH and NAHRA SR tests. Unlike the AKC or NAHRA tests, the WC test can use a variety of different birds. The first WC test, of which a video clip is post on the web site, used pigeons. On that test she blanked the second bird even through she easily found it. The four other tests were equally as frustrating. I was half expecting she would refuse to pick up the pheasants on the latest test, since she’s never seen one before, but the first land retrieve went well. The second bird she also found right away, but then decided to look for an alternative bird to retrieve. After a few “Fetch it Up” on my part, she decide there was only one choice and brought the pheasant back reluctantly. After the land marks were over, I thought the two single water marks with ducks was going to be a cake walk. Wrong again!

The first water mark was thrown from a small island, See Figure below. Tink swam out to point “a” and retrieved the duck but then went ashore on the island and rolled on the ground at “b”. Now I started grabbing my chest. I thought, that after all the water marks we practice, she is going to blow it again. Lucky, after a few whistle calls, she picked up the duck and swam across to “c” where I was waiting. The second mark was non-eventful and we finally finished the WC Certificate. I wonder how long it will take for the WCX?

The following are a few photos of Tink during the test.

    

We are still waiting for Tinks next heat cycle. I don’t know the effect that pregnancy will have on time between heats. I have not found any literature on this subject. Up to now she has been averaging about 38 weeks with a standard deviation of 5.5 weeks. This means the next cycle could start as late as November 19th, see graph below. In the mean time, we are working on field handling exercises and blind retrieves. Tink is in very good shape. Her muscle tone is excellent and her weight is ~54 lbs. Thyroid levels are at the desired target values. A blood test after Labor Day showed her TT4 was 37 pmols/L, with the normal range being 15-67 and the desired value being 35 pmols/L. We’ll continue training and maybe run in the CRFCRC WCX test on 11/27/06.

 

…P

After a hot summer, we are back to planning for our next litter and field training. Tink is at her normal weight of 54-55 lbs. She put on about 5-6 lbs during her first pregnancy, but she has work it off by now. We’ve been training, the last month, on double mark retrieves, blinds and lining drills. We ran the PVGRC WC test on Saturday and she finally earned the Working Certificate (WC) title, see the upcoming entry in the Field Log for pictures and more details. She is becoming moodier and restless these days which usually happens just before Proestrus. She is due around October 12th +/- 2 weeks.
 
Everything is in place with the new Vet, Dr. Valeria Rickard, in Leesburg. I transferred the remaining breeding units from Richmond to her facility last month. Dr. Rickard is a reproductive vet specializing in Endoscopic Transcervical Insemination (eTCI), See IVIS Paper. She will be performing the eTCI technique and the traditional surgical AI on Tink for the next breeding. We are performing these techniques to maximize the chances of conception and litter size. During Tink’s initial physical exam, Dr. Rickard took a culture to check for Mycoplasma bacteria and sent the swab to Cornell. They found that she had a vaginal infection of E. Coli and Strep. The Vet put her on a course of antibiotics to get rid of this infection and we’re now back checking for Mycoplasma again. We should get the results in the next few days. It appears that Mycoplasma Bacteria may be related to infertility, early embryonic death, resorption, abortion, stillbirth, or the birth of weak, nonviable pups. Better safe than sorry later I suppose. With all this said, however, Tink appears fine, she is eating well, exercising and demanding as ever.

…P

The following is an excerpt from Kass Goulding e-mail to Al on April’s progress at training camp:

“… Her teeth are coming in right now, and she LOVES!!! to play in the hose.  Water is no issue for her at all (just like her grandmother) and she boldly enters any water.  My neighbor inadvertently built me a stick pond about 2 years ago, and she slithers over the logs and debris as if they weren’t even there. Land marks have all been with bumpers….until she is forced, I’ll wait on using birds….”

She also sent these recent picture of April at about 4 months old.

  

…P

April has been at Pacesetter Training Kennel, Athens, GA. Here are a few images of her at three months old.

  

Until we see you again!

…P