Planning, progesterone and dog sex (oh my!)

Planning, progesterone and dog sex (oh my!)

Harley is somewhat predictable as far as her heat cycles go -- she came in season on September 14th, which about six months after her last heat. Knowing that her heat cycles are long (21 days) we assumed she may breed later into her cycle . . . (foreshadowing 😉)

When doing any breeding, step #1 is to do progesterone testing. Good breeders do progesterone when organizing each breeding (whether "live cover" or an AI - artificial insemination breeding) as it helps predict the day the puppies will whelp (be born).

What the heck is progesterone testing, you ask?

Basically, progesterone is a hormone produced by the ovaries that rises as the heat cycle progresses. Early in the canine heat cycle the progesterone values will usually read less than 1.0 ng/ml. The first significant, sustained rise in progesterone usually coincides with the "LH Surge". The LH stands for luteinizing hormone and is released by the pituitary gland in the brain. This is important because ovulation occurs about 48 hours after the LH surge. The progesterone value at the time of the LH surge is usually about 2-3 ng/ml. The progesterone will rise to about 5-8 ng/ml at the time of ovulation. Canine eggs are not ready to be fertilized at the time of ovulation and take about 2 days to mature. Once mature, the eggs remain fertile for 2 to 3 days and then begin to deteriorate. Of note: progesterone stays elevated for about 2 months whether the bitch is pregnant or not. We like to know when the "surge" is so that we have an idea of ovulation, when to breed, and to estimate the whelping day.

Harley and owner, Jen made the trek to Dr. Beckie Williams DVM at the Chino Hills Animal Hospital. Dr. Williams is considered the best repro vet in on the West Coast and despite the 1.5 hour drive her expertise is worth it. Harley's first progesterone test was Day 5 (September 19th) and she was only at 1.0.  So we had some time to wait . . . tick tock tick tock.

Day 10 (September 23rd) and Harley was still a 1.0! Three days later and she increased to a 2.0 (Day 14 of her heat cycle). We revisited heat days for her mom, Lyra, who bred on Day 12. But, all breedings are different and we knew we had to "wait for the numbers" so to speak.  She was flagging which is a sign that she is getting ready to be bred. 

Woohoo, on September 29th, she was a 6.5! On October 1st Jensie paid a home visit to Harley and we were in luck -- a tie 💘! And, again on October 2nd (16 minute tie) 💘!   

More details to follow . . . Harley will have her ultrasound on October 27th (34 days from the first breeding). Fingers and toes are crossed!