Coming into season
Xena came into heat on Saturday 27th June 2015. I have changed our vet and now using Gawler South Small Animal Hospital in Fourth Street, Gawler South. They appear to be great and on the two occassions I have been there, both times I have been impressed with the staff and service.. So our first test was on 30/6/2015. She also had a pre mating checkup by the vet. Very impressed with that. Dr. Dave done the normal stuff, heart rate, weight and much to Xena's dismay, gave her a sort of internal. So Xena got a clean bill of health and actually commented that she is a fit healthy bitch. Thats always a nice thing to hear.
Her first prog test came back low, being 1.2. She had another blood test on Friday 3rd July with a result of 1.5 so things are moving rather slowly at this stage.
Now for those that don't know. The correct name for the prog test is progesterone test. In short, it is a blood test done when the bitch comes into season to indicate the best time for mating. The progesterone rises in the blood system and then peaks at a certain time. By using these readings, the vet is able to advise you the best time to mate to ensure you have the best chance of getting puppies. Thats it in very simple basic terms. To read more on Progesterone, the reproductive cycle for dogs, click on the link below.
which offers a more detailed explanation.
And so we wait for her progesterone to increase which will indicate ovualtion of fertile eggs. Then its a call to the owner of the stud and away we go.
On our last effort with the A.I, it was 9 days from the 1st prog test to the day she was insseminated. So that will give you a rough idea. During that time I had 6 prog tests conducted. Each test costs the breeder $45.oo. Thankfully in the past twelve months, the fee has not gone up so I am still paying $45 every couple of days for these blood tests.
