Zene is fairly predictable as far as her heat cycles go -- she came in season around July 19th which is six months after her last heat. We waited a week or so and then began the trek North to rendezvous with Beckett up in Northern CA. Step #1 is progesterone testing. Good breeders do progesterone when organizing each breeding ("live cover" or AI - artificial insemination).
What the heck is progesterone testing, you ask?
Basically, progesterone is a hormone produced by the ovaries that rises as the heat cycle progresses. Early in the canine heat cycle the progesterone values will usually read less than 1.0 ng/ml. The first significant, sustained rise in progesterone usually coincides with the "LH Surge". The LH stands for luteinizing hormone and is released by the pituitary gland in the brain. This is important because ovulation occurs about 48 hours after the LH surge. The progesterone value at the time of the LH surge is usually about 2-3 ng/ml. The progesterone will rise to about 5-8 ng/ml at the time of ovulation. Canine eggs are not ready to be fertilized at the time of ovulation and take about 2 days to mature. Once mature, the eggs remain fertile for 2 to 3 days and then begin to deteriorate. Of note: progesterone stays elevated for about 2 months whether the bitch is pregnant or not. We like to know when the "surge" is so that we have an idea of ovulation, when to breed, and to estimate the whelping day.
Zene in the waiting room at the vet
Zene's progesterone testing came back as 1.7 on Saturday, July 30th. We're looking for the LH Surge of 5+. She met up with Beckett this weekend but there was no connection (yet) between the "lovebirds" (she is too early to be bred).
More details to follow . . . (and likely more progesterone testing!). After we have a successful breeding (or two) will we plan to do an ultrasound in four weeks to verify a pregnancy. So please check back . . .
