Topaz in heat!

Our girl Topaz came into heat a bit over a week ago. A female generally becomes fertile around 6-20 days after bleeding begins. The way to pinpoint ovulation and the best time to breed is to monitor hormone levels, specifically progesterone, which rises as she enters estrus and stays elevated throughout pregnancy, and luteinizing hormone (LH), which surges to trigger the release of the ova.

Topaz's progesterone levels on Tuesday were still low but yesterday the LH surge occurred, which means she will ovulate Saturday and be ready for breeing Sunday-Tuesday. The eggs require a couple of days to mature prior to fertilization, so optimal breeding (for a natural mating) starts at the time of ovulation or shortly after and continues for about five days. Fresh sperm are viable for 5-7 days in the female, so they have plenty of time to find the ova and do their little job of creation.

Stay tuned for news of success and the next round in Guess How Many Puppies contest (the Topaz edition)!