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.

Time flies when you're having puppies

Galena is one-third through gestation – yes, ALREADY!

We’ve been so caught up with getting Topaz’s breeding accomplished that we’ve hardly had head-space for Galena’s progress, but it goes quickly when gestation is only nine weeks long. I’m not sure where these first three weeks have gone!

Puppy development starts quite slowly. The eggs are released on the day of ovulation (duh) and take two days to “ripen” so that fertilization can occur. That’s why we wait until two days post-ovulation to breed, especially when doing artificial insemination, as the fresh-chilled sperm don’t last as long as the sperm in a natural mating. 

Once breeding has taken place, it apparently takes another couple days for the sperm to get to and fertilize the egg, and another several days for the fertilized ova to reach the uterus where they will attach to the uterine wall. During that period the egg begins to divide – again this begins slowly. Three days post fertilization is when the first division, into two cells, occurs. A day later it’s four cells, then another day to get to eight cells (total of three divisions). By day 7 the ovum it’s still only at the fourth division (16 cells). During the second week it divides only twice more, to reach 64 cells and form the morula (early stage embryo of as yet undifferentiated cells) and find a place in the uterine wall to embed itself. By the end of the second week, the cells begin to differentiate, at first only into an outer shell and inner cell mass. During the third week the placentas are formed and development of the basic structure of the puppy begins in earnest. With the power of exponential growth, those 64 cells present at the edn of week two have formed over a thousand cells by the end of week three, and the beginnings of the nervous system are in place. At 20 days the ovules have finally changed shape, elongating to begin to form a puppy.

By this time we often notice some changed behaviour in the mama-to-be - she gets picky about eating (it's not just a human trait!) and might be a bit moody. Galena is known to be very picky during pregnancy –if I recall correctly, cooked chicken, bananas and raw carrots are about the only things she will agree to consume. During her first two pregnancies she barely gained any weight, and lost several pounds while she nursed the puppies, but she’s put on a several pounds since her last litter and is in good shape for another pregnancy.

Guardian homes needed

We are hoping to keep one or two of Galena’s and Topaz’s (female) pups from their May litters as breeding prospect puppies. We will need Guardian families to provide homes for them.  

To qualify as a DragonRam guardian famil, you need to live within a 10km radius of central Ottawa (or be willing and able to bring the dog to our place for testing about once a year and occasional visits). You need to agree to provide a safe, secure, happy home for the dog, feed only high-quality, grain-free food, provide regular veterinary care, and overall provide a loving, caring home. We retain breeding rights to the dog for up to 4 litters, and require access to the dog for breeding-related health checks, breeding and whelping.

You need to agree to stay in touch so we can schedule breedings and so your dog remains familiar with us and our home. Males may be called upon multiple times a year to provide breeding services, which usually involves a couple hours every so often. Females need to stay with us for a few days when bred, and them come to our home about a week before puppies are due. The female whelps her puppies at our house and remains with us until the puppies are weaned by around 7 weeks of age.

In recognition of the ongoing relationship and our demands on you and your time (and dog), the price for a Guardian Puppy is substantially reduced.

If you think this might interest you, please refer to our website and/or contact us and we will be happy to provide more information. (roma@dragonramdoodles.com)

Guess How Many Puppies - Topaz edition

Okay folks, time to gear up for the Topaz edition round of our "Guess how many puppies" contest!! (You still have time to submit guesses for Galena, too – see our March 20 post for Galena’s details.)

This will be Topaz’s second litter.

In her first litter she gave birth to 6 puppies (though one was stillborn; only five survived.)

Topaz came into heat on March 10. She was in LH surge on March 19, ovulated on March 21 and was bred on March 22 by natural breeding.

Counting from March 21, day 63 would be May 23, so whelping should occur any time between May 20 and May 26. With her first litter Topaz gave birth on day 61. That would make it about May 21 (my daughter’s birthday, and the birthday of Garnet’s first litter!). She also gave birth starting mid-afternoon. We don’t actually know exactly what time the first pup was born, because she had given birth to the first two before we even noticed it, but we estimate it was around 3:30 to 4:00pm. (When my kids got home from school there were no puppies; by 4:30 the first two had arrived.)

Contest parameters

You are invited to submit a guess to each of the Galena and Topaz editions of this spring’s contest.

Each guess must include:

- the name of the dam it is for (Galena or Topaz)

- number of puppies

- date of whelping (birth)

- time of birth of the first puppy

Deadlines

Topaz: 11:59pm on TBD

Topaz will have her ultrasound between April 22 and 28. I’ll announce the cut-off date for her contest once we have a firm date for the ultrasound. (Watch here for an announcement of the ultrasound date. The contest will close at midnight that evening.)

Galena: 11:59pm on Tuesday April 7

Prizes

The prize for the person who guesses the correct number of puppies and has the date and time of whelping closest to the actual date and time of the first puppy’s birth will win a $10 gift card to your choice of Tim Horton's, Starbucks or Chapters.

There will be one winner for each contest. (While members of my immediate family – me and my kids –  submit guesses, if one of us wins it’s the next closest who gets the prize.)

Send your guesses in now!