Topaz: Two-thirds there!

 Topaz’s pups are now recognizable as puppies though they still have some development and a lot of growth to go before birth. 

During the last three weeks they have gotten a full nervous system, a skeleton, face, limbs, skin, internal organs, a beating heart, sexual characteristics, eyes, ears and, well, basically almost everything they need to survive, though those systems are not yet mature and they would not likely survive if they were born now – but it won’t take long!

The foetuses are about 45mm long (almost 2”), weigh about 6g (1/4 oz), and are quite resistant to developmental problems. 

Topaz is visibly pregnant and soon we’ll be able to see ripples on her belly as the puppies move, and feel their skulls. It’s an exciting time!

Topaz ultrasound

Topaz had her ultrasound yesterday morning.

And the number is… (drumroll…) 5 !!!

As I noted in Galena’s ultrasound announcement, this may not be 100% accurate, but we expect it’s got a good chance of being so, although the vet who did the ultrasound this time wasn't our usual expert, so I'm not sure what her track record is like. But she was confident she counted five. So the short-list for the most likely winner of the Guess How Many Puppies contest (Topaz edition) is Emma P and Sarah P. Stay tuned for the final outcome!

It’ll be another four weeks before we can announce the final winner - meaning the puppies will have been born. In the meantime – as I said before – watch this space for news!  

At this point, anyone who is interested in one of Topaz’s puppies is invited to send in a deposit to fix your place on the waiting list. Of the four families who indicated an interest in this litter, two have already sent in their deposit, so we can accept up to three more. (If you haven’t already sent in an application form, we need one of those two, which you can download or request by e-mail.)

With Springville Zippity Doo Dah (Zip) of Canadian Doodle Puppies as sire, Topaz’s pups will all be shades of gold-apricot-red in solid or parti. They may have curly or wavy fleece coats, and are likely to range in size from 15-25 lbs at maturity. Puppy allocation will primarily be based on the best match between the characteristics the puppies display at temperament testing (done at age 7 weeks) and the characteristics you specify as most important in your application form. We may keep one female as a breeding prospect and welcome inquiries from people interested in being Guardians. The rest of the puppies will all be going as pets.

Happy puppy dreams!

Topaz: Guess How Many Puppies (Reminder)

This is just a friendly reminder to get your guesses in asap for the Topaz Edition of our spring 2015 Guess How Many Puppies contest!

If you need details, check out the March 24 post.

The deadline for guesses for the Topaz Edition is Friday 24 March at 11:59pm. By early Saturday April 25 we will have posted the results of the ultrasound with a preliminary puppy count, so no guesses will be accepted after that.

Happy birthday Topaz, Pearl, Sid, PJ and Banjo!

Topaz is three today, along with her siblings Pearl, Sid, PJ and Banjo!

Last year Topaz had her puppies 19 days after her birthday. This year it will likely be about a week to 10 days later.

Topaz - Three years old!

Topaz spent March break with us (mostly with me, Amore and Phoenix, as the kids were gone), which was a good chance to spend a bit more time bonding and getting her used to being here, as she’ll come join us in early May before her pups are born. Topaz has faded a fair bit (especially over summer) and is no longer the medium apricot colour she was when she was younger, but she is still a lovely, friendly girl.

We have the good luck of seeing Pearl and Sid at the occasional Doodle Romp, and it’s always nice to say hi and catch up with dogs and owners. Even PJ joined us once – he’s turned into a big dood, likely the biggest pup we’ve ever had at close to 50 lbs. Can you imagine? Mama MoMo is only a bit over 20, though his sire was more like 35-40. Banjo lives way out in North Bay so we haven’t seen him since he went home, but we love you too, Banjo!

Happy birthday to all of you!! Best of luck as you move into your fourth year of life.

Topaz - One-third there

A mere two weeks ago I reported on Galena’s first trimester - which as we now know wasn't really a first trimester, as she didn't actually get pregnant (see the April 8 post).

Now Topaz is at that stage - and this time it will be for real, right?

Rather than repeat everything from the previous post (check out March 29 if you missed the details), I’ll give a brief re-cap. 

Initial development is very slow. It takes a good two weeks after ovulation for the eggs to be fertilized, reach the uterus, divide into 64 cells (a total of six divisions) and begin to differentiate, at first only into an outer shell and inner cell mass.

The third week sees the formation of the placentas and, finally, the basic structure of the puppy begins to really take shape, starting with the nervous system and a lengthening of the ovules.

In terms of behaviour, the early signs of pregnancy are picky eating and possible moodiness.

Galena ultrasound - Disappointing news

Galena had her ultrasound yesterday afternoon, and the news is very disappointing. It would seem that the artificial insemination didn't take and she is not pregnant. (And that means there will be no winner in the Galena edition of the Guess How Many Puppies contest, as there are no puppies...)

This happens sometimes, though it's a first for us. Every other time we've bred, whether by natural breeding or artificial insemination,  we've had a successful pregnancy. A couple of times there have been fewer puppies than we would have liked, but never zero!

We have no real explanation for why. We did everything right - did four progesterone (hormone) tests to pinpoint the best date for insemination; got quality sperm from the intended stud, did a trans-cervical insemination (which delivers the sperm right to the uterus, for best results) - but to no avail.

If you were interested in a Galena puppy, it will unfortunately not happen this summer. We intend to breed Galena on her next heat in fall (likely September for November puppies ready to go home in January 2016) and will probably try Jackson again as we were (are) really looking forward to Galena-Jackson pups. So you could wait for that litter or switch to one of Topaz's puppies - her ultrasound is on April 24 and we can't have bad news both times, can we!?!!

My daughter thought she saw a heartbeat on the ultrasound, but I'm more inclined to trust my vet's experienced eye over that of an untrained onlooker. Still, we joked about how her Guardians might wake up on May 8 or 9 to find a wee mewling bundle nestled next to mama... we can dream, can't we?

Keep your fingers crossed for better news with Topaz in 17 days...

Upcoming Doodle Romp

This is a reminder that the next Doodle Romp is in one week, on Saturday April 11. Meet at 10am at DragonRam HQ and we'll walk through the surrounding parking lots and, if it's not too wet, the fields and forest nearby as well.

We invite anyone interested in getting one of our spring puppies to come join us at this Romp. It's a great opportunity to meet some of our past pups and their owners, and get to know our program and our wonderful dogs!

Please RSVP to roma@dragonramdoodles.com and ask for details if you need them.

Reminder - Guess How Many Puppies contest

This is just a friendly reminder to get your guesses in asap for the Galena Edition of our spring 2015 Guess How Many Puppies contest!

If you need details, check out the March 20 post.

The deadline for guesses for the Galena Edition is in one week - or more specifically, 11:59pm on Tuesday April 7. By early Wednesday April 8 we will have posted the results of the ultrasound with a preliminary puppy count, so no guesses will be accepted after that.