Neverland-Retrievers

I had an ultrasound exam done on Tink this Saturday, March 4th. It appears from the scans that she may NOT be pregnant. This is very disappointing to say the least. I spoke with Dr.Elam and he believes it is still to early to make the determination. He believes the ultrasound should be done at 30-32 day post-breeding. I have rescheduled another scan for Monday, March 13 just in case he’s right. I am not optimistic at this point. At 25 days post-breeding, the fluid filled vesicle should have been visible on the scan, See “Ultrasound Imaging of the Reproductive Tract of the Bitch“, by By England, Yeager and Concannon. The article does go on to say that ultrasound examination in the first month may lead to inaccurate diagnosis… if the exam is scheduled too early. I don’t think the exam was to early, in this case, since we knew the day of ovulation based on the blood test results. The article also says that a conceptus could be hidden by fecal material in the intestine. This may be possible since Tink had eaten only a few hours earlier. As you can tell, I’m looking for a small bit of hope. I’ll post the follow up results as soon as there known.

…P

The ultrasound examine is now scheduled for Tuesday March 7th at 6:30pm. I think the wait is harder on me than Tink right now. I’ve been reading about how to feel for puppies. If I lightly feel on either side of her incision I can make out several lumps, like a string of pearls. I counted about five or six distinct bumps. Maybe this is just hopeful thinking on my part.

…P

Tink’s stitches, from the AI, were removed today. Last Tuesday the Vet had opted to delay removal until Saturday so the swelling around the incision could subside. I have been surprised that Tink has not scratching or licked the area very much. I had visions of her pulling the sutures out on her own. She does not seem to be bothered by the surgery. Last Sunday I did noticed a bump on her leg. I called Dr. Elam and he guessed it was a bruised vein from the several blood draws. After daily heat compress it is now almost gone.

Tink seems more mellow these days. Her possium toy has lasted much longer than any previous one. She’s not tearing the guts out to get to the squeaker. She is sleeping more and eating everything in sight. Her weight is holding steady at 55 lbs for now.

…P

I have posted a new video clip on the “Breeding” page of Ferro from the International Dog Show in Tallinn, Estonia. Handled by Ulla, Ferro took a Group 3 Placement and earned his Championship Title. Congats to Ferro and Ulla from across the pond!

…P

Tink seems to doing just fine after the AI. Her coat is quickly growing back over the shaven area of her belly. The next milestone dates to look forward to are:

February 14 – Remove stitches
March 7 – Ultrasound exam to confirm pregnancy
April 4 – X-Ray to determine number of puppies
April 8 – Estimated whelping date

…P

Tink’s now home and seems fine after the AI. The image shown here was captured from the webcam on Thursday, 2/9. Clearly visible is the area shaven for the surgery and if you look closely the five stitches are also noticeable.

…P

Dr. Elam performed the AI on Tink, late last night. She is doing fine and I plan to bring her home Wednesday. After a little scare, in which her progesterone level dropped slightly with Saturday’s sample, the levels increased dramatically to 10.7 ng/ml with Mondays blood sample. Dr Elam estimates she ovulated on Sunday. Now, if everything goes well, puppies will be expected around April 8th. We will confirm a successful breeding around February 28th with an ultrasond examine.

…Peter

On Saturday, 2/4/06, I drove Tink to Dr. Elam’s Animal Hospital. We’ve tested her progesterone levels three time and it appear she ovulated on Fri evening. Her prime breeding window is Sunday Evening until Tuesday Evening. She will be artificially inseminated on Monday morning. I will pick her up and bring her home on Tuesday.

…P

I am starting to make plans to take Tink to the AI Vet in Richmond. I will drive her to Elam’s Animal Hospital on Wednesday afternoon and leave her there until the AI is complete. Dr. Nick recommended I bring her down early so he could test her progesterone levels as needed. This way he could perform the AI at the right time without me having to rush her there. I’m not crazy about leaving her, but I can see the logic in this approach. She could be spending 5-7 days away from home, so I’m packing her food and bed to take down.

Today has been the heaviest day of Estrus. During the day she spent a couple of hours playing outside, retrieving the Kong and we trained for about 45 mins on some blind marks. At night she is sleeping by 10pm. Her appetite has not diminished. She currently weighs about 56 lbs. I’m starting to feed her Innova EVO Dog, see http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=%2F%2Fproduct%5B@id%3D%271246%27%5D. Evo has been been given the WDJ’s top approved dog food recommendation and it now comes in can too. Her coat is looking great and she’s put on 1-2 lbs since last spring.

… Peter

Well today we confirmed that Tinks is definitly in heat. This morning we found a blood spot on the living room floor before going to work. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll mark the calendar as Jan 25 as the beginning date. The semen from Ferro arrived on Jan 12 and I drove it to the vet in Richmond on the 14th where it is in cyrogenic storage. Just in time by the looks of things. The estimated breeding date is Feb 7th, but we will start testing the progesterone levels on day 7 to confirm ovulation.