Treasure Pregnancy Day 63

Well, clearly Treasure had not ovulated yet 63 Days ago at the time of her 1st "tie" with Bullet back in February.  She is not going to have her puppies early and although they are not yet here, it does not mean she is late.  Although she 'accepted' Bullet early on (not always the case) she had not come into what is called full standing heat yet. As Treasure's heat progressed she did move into full standing heat (estrus).  Typically most stud dog owners will request the bitch in heat be sent to the male. Depending upon the location it is common for them to travel back and forth between home and the stud dog owner. ATB is Bullet's second home and as he stays here often to train with John, Bullet came to Treasure - he is after all, part of the family!

There are actually 4 stages of estrus, or heat. The first stage is proestrus and is when an owner notices the first traces of vaginal bleeding. Males become more interested in the bitch, hormonal changes occur, and this generally lasts 7-9 days and even if she has not yet ovulated (and therefor not fertile yet) she still may mate or be willing to accept.  But not always! Sometimes she will try to rip the face off any male that approaches her this early.  Estrus is the actual time that she is fertile and may get pregnant. She will gladly stand still for the male and very often 'flag' her tail. Sometimes she'll try to show him exactly what it is she would like him to do.  The actual time frame here differs greatly but typically would last an average of 7 days. A vet can administer tests to determine the best time to breed during this stage. Metestrus is the last stage, it is after breeding has occurred, dogs are still attracted to her but she will absolutely refuse any male that comes near her. Her body gets ready for pregnancy - even if she was not mated. Anestrus is the resting stage between heats and it lasts an average of 5-6 months but again they are all different and it can be as brief as 4 months or long as 9 months or more.

Therein lies a brief lesson of the estrus cycle!  Anyway, after Treasure had been bred I calculated her due date(s) based on actual dates she was with Bullet. This resulted in determining pups are due this week which began with Easter.  I really was hoping not on Easter but we were ready.  And I hope before our son in law's naturalization ceremony and celebration later on this week. (He is from England and has completed the process necessary to become an American citizen!) Regardless, our family is very forgiving and understanding about when we have puppies due.

To wrap it all up tonight, Treasure's temperature seems to be stuck just a little above 100.  Everything that's been going on is still going on and every day she's bigger than the day before. And more uncomfortable too.  She startled me today a little bit though. After lying down sleeping soundly she suddenly stood up and arched her back.  This typically is seen during labor when a pup is very close to being born.  But she then lay back down and went right back to sleep and never did it again.  She's still enjoying her walks around the yard and has finally given up any thought of running, or so it seems. Treasure has become the waddler and is content to waddle around the yard.  She continues to enjoy rolling onto her back in the grass - well that is as much as she is capable of doing that. Treasure remains playful to a fault but primarily she continues to sleep and rest.  She has a very good appetite for the most part.  She has food and fresh water available to her at all times. We are also offering her increased protein through liver, eggs, etc.  Tonight she did refuse her yogurt which was strange.  I'm happy to be getting a futon from our daughter which I have slept on at her house before. It's much more comfortable than the cot which is set up so I look forward to that. 

And as I glance at the clock I see in reality that Day 63 is now a thing of the past.  I wonder what today will bring. I'm appreciative that our nearby vet friend/breeder is 'on call' and I touched base with her and her husband earlier as well as another breeder.  It's good to have a circle of support and John and I have several friends who are responsible and experienced breeders.  We all know what it's like to anxiously await the arrival of a litter of much anticipated puppies, what a joyous occasion it is while remaining focused upon the needs and the care of the mother to be. In this case the mother to be will once again be close by my side tonight as we sleep together.  It is where she wants to be. And it is also where I want to be.  John has Hemi, Pippin, and Jack so don't feel bad for him LOL!  Take care and God bless you always - John and Ann Short and ATB

I did take photos today but just too tired to go find the camera tonight.