Not much to report today...Porsche's doing great - still her usual funny, happy self. She's decided that she needs to make sure that Vala is all clean - she licks her eyes, her mouth, her neck. Grooming is the word for the day.
Porsche's also turned into a bit of a suck! She was a suck already but this week she'd like to be welded to my hip. She and Lily are taking turns laying at my feet while I watch TV...silly girls.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Your Biology Lesson For Today...
After attending Myra Harris' seminar not once, but twice (and wishing like hell I could have gone to see her this weekend in Calgary!), I have changed my bitch's pregnancy diet slightly.
In Myra's seminar she talks extensively about the parathyroid gland (read more about the parathyroid gland here) and its role in maintaining the body's calcium levels. When the calcium level in the blood stream drops below a certain level, the parathyroid gland releases, obviously enough, some parathyroid hormone which triggers the release of calcium from storage areas in the body, namely the skeletal system.
While most people think of calcium as "being important for bones and teeth", its biggest function in the body is maintaining muscle contraction (read more about the science here). If there is no calcium circulating through the bloodstream, there is no muscle contraction.
So...how does this apply to pregnant bitches?
What is labour??
Yes, you're right! Muscle contraction...lots and lots and LOTS of muscle contraction!
I feed my dogs a raw diet and a portion of that diet is raw meaty bones. The problem with feeding raw meaty bones during pregnancy, according to Myra, is that when you feed excess calcium (which bones have a plethora of!), there is always calcium circulating through the bloodstream as the body digests the bone. When there is always calcium circulating through the bloodstream, the parathyroid gland gets to take a break from doing its job. It gets lazy and sluggish. It goes on vacation...
So...you've fed a bunch of bone (or extra calcium for those of you who supplement during pregnancy) throughout the bitch's pregnancy. The parathyroid hormone hasn't worked in how many days/weeks/months...then the bitch goes into labour. WOW! That's a lot of muscle contraction...need more calcium...need to contract uterus to deliver puppies...
BUT!!! The parathyroid gland is still on vacation...it misses the 6am wake up call Monday morning its first day back at work. After the calcium that has been circulating in the bloodstream is used up there is none left because the parathyroid gland has been allowed to grow sluggish or inactive.
No calcium = no muscle contraction.
No muscle contraction = uterine inertia.
Uterine inertia = c-section.
So...the grand experiment! While my dogs are still on a raw diet, I have taken Porsche and Lily right off of raw meaty bones. They are eating organ meat, ground muscle meat, eggs, veggies and tripe, with tripe making up the majority of their diet.
I will be honest and say that a large part of me shudders to think that perhaps my bitches aren't getting enough calcium to make healthy babies...but then I give my head a shake and remember that tripe and liver and veggies all contain calcium. Not as much as raw meaty bones, of course, but that's the point, isn't it?
The hope is that by reducing the circulating calcium in their diet, I will be able to keep the parathyroid gland working hard throughout the pregnancy so that when the girls go into labour they will have more than enough access to calcium in their bones to deliver all of their babies naturally!
That's your biology lesson for today...I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think I should have been a biology teacher! :)
In Myra's seminar she talks extensively about the parathyroid gland (read more about the parathyroid gland here) and its role in maintaining the body's calcium levels. When the calcium level in the blood stream drops below a certain level, the parathyroid gland releases, obviously enough, some parathyroid hormone which triggers the release of calcium from storage areas in the body, namely the skeletal system.
While most people think of calcium as "being important for bones and teeth", its biggest function in the body is maintaining muscle contraction (read more about the science here). If there is no calcium circulating through the bloodstream, there is no muscle contraction.
So...how does this apply to pregnant bitches?
What is labour??
Yes, you're right! Muscle contraction...lots and lots and LOTS of muscle contraction!
I feed my dogs a raw diet and a portion of that diet is raw meaty bones. The problem with feeding raw meaty bones during pregnancy, according to Myra, is that when you feed excess calcium (which bones have a plethora of!), there is always calcium circulating through the bloodstream as the body digests the bone. When there is always calcium circulating through the bloodstream, the parathyroid gland gets to take a break from doing its job. It gets lazy and sluggish. It goes on vacation...
So...you've fed a bunch of bone (or extra calcium for those of you who supplement during pregnancy) throughout the bitch's pregnancy. The parathyroid hormone hasn't worked in how many days/weeks/months...then the bitch goes into labour. WOW! That's a lot of muscle contraction...need more calcium...need to contract uterus to deliver puppies...
BUT!!! The parathyroid gland is still on vacation...it misses the 6am wake up call Monday morning its first day back at work. After the calcium that has been circulating in the bloodstream is used up there is none left because the parathyroid gland has been allowed to grow sluggish or inactive.
No calcium = no muscle contraction.
No muscle contraction = uterine inertia.
Uterine inertia = c-section.
So...the grand experiment! While my dogs are still on a raw diet, I have taken Porsche and Lily right off of raw meaty bones. They are eating organ meat, ground muscle meat, eggs, veggies and tripe, with tripe making up the majority of their diet.
I will be honest and say that a large part of me shudders to think that perhaps my bitches aren't getting enough calcium to make healthy babies...but then I give my head a shake and remember that tripe and liver and veggies all contain calcium. Not as much as raw meaty bones, of course, but that's the point, isn't it?
The hope is that by reducing the circulating calcium in their diet, I will be able to keep the parathyroid gland working hard throughout the pregnancy so that when the girls go into labour they will have more than enough access to calcium in their bones to deliver all of their babies naturally!
That's your biology lesson for today...I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think I should have been a biology teacher! :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Green goop is good news!
Porsche got her eagerly awaited greenish discharge from her vulva this afternoon! Every bitch that I've ever bred had gotten discharge approximately ten days after they've been bred. It only lasts a day or so but it's been a sure sign of pregnancy before. Fingers crossed that holds true for Porsche as well! :)
The girl is doing well...she's been in good spirits and enjoying the early, warm spring we've been having here.
The girl is doing well...she's been in good spirits and enjoying the early, warm spring we've been having here.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Healing very nicely...
Thanks to Denice's trusty stitch job and Porsche's healthy raw diet, her incision was healed in 24 hours...I kid you not. In 24 hours the skin was sealed. Gotta love that sort of healing!!
Porsche got her BIG pot belly right on schedule so if all goes well, we should see puppies in another eight weeks or so!
Porsche's still happily playing full speed with Vala and being a HUGE suck. Sounds like good news to me! :)
Porsche got her BIG pot belly right on schedule so if all goes well, we should see puppies in another eight weeks or so!
Porsche's still happily playing full speed with Vala and being a HUGE suck. Sounds like good news to me! :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Fingers crossed!!
Well, Porsche and I made the trek into the Uncas Veterinary Clinic yesterday morning to have her inseminated with the good "Rony-Pony" semen! Dr. Denice Schlingman of the Uncas Veterinary Clinic has been wonderful and I have had fantastic luck with her...over the course of the past ten years, Denice has given me AI litters of nine, eleven and eleven puppies. Here's hoping Porsche's implant is just as successful!!
Porsche was a bit sore from the surgery last night but is back to her happy, bouncy self this morning. The incision looks great (and is very small - good job, Denice!).
Now all we have to do is wait...
/gulp
Thanks also need to go out to Jill Benoit, the amazing reproductive tech that works with Denice at Uncas. Between the two of them, they do an amazing job!
For more information about the Uncas Veterinary Clinic and the services they provide, visit their website:
www.uncasvet.com
Porsche was a bit sore from the surgery last night but is back to her happy, bouncy self this morning. The incision looks great (and is very small - good job, Denice!).
Now all we have to do is wait...
/gulp
Thanks also need to go out to Jill Benoit, the amazing reproductive tech that works with Denice at Uncas. Between the two of them, they do an amazing job!
For more information about the Uncas Veterinary Clinic and the services they provide, visit their website:
www.uncasvet.com
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Second progesterone test and an "aha!" moment...
I took Porsche in for a second progesterone reading on Friday...the results came back and she has begun her LH surge. We'll do another progesterone on Monday and then the implant will happen either Wednesday or Thursday. Me? I'm hoping for Thursday as I already have halfthe day booked off for a medical appointment and it will mean that I don't need to make two trips to the Uncas Veterinary Clinic, which is 90+ minutes away from my house.
Keep your fingers crossed! :)
Oh! And the "Aha!" moment...I've been using my Draminski Ovulation Detector vigilantly over the course of the last week, but the graph that the data was giving me was all over the place. Then it occurred to me to break down the AM and PM readings into two graphs. Yup...that was all that required! The data now looks like it should.
Apparently, some bitches show changes in the electrical conductivity of their cervical mucus during the day. Porsche's conductivity is high in the morning and lower in the afternoon and evening readings. Basically, the data makes no sense when you look it as a whole but when you break it down, it looks like it should! Yeah to me for remembering that little tidbit of information in the manual!! LOL
You can learn more about the Draminski Ovulation Detector here:
http://dog.draminski.com/draminski-dog-ovulation-detector/
And in Canada, you can purchase the Draminski Ovulation Detector here:
http://www.midwoof.com/store/reproduction/draminski-ovulation-detector/prod_149.html
Keep your fingers crossed! :)
Oh! And the "Aha!" moment...I've been using my Draminski Ovulation Detector vigilantly over the course of the last week, but the graph that the data was giving me was all over the place. Then it occurred to me to break down the AM and PM readings into two graphs. Yup...that was all that required! The data now looks like it should.
Apparently, some bitches show changes in the electrical conductivity of their cervical mucus during the day. Porsche's conductivity is high in the morning and lower in the afternoon and evening readings. Basically, the data makes no sense when you look it as a whole but when you break it down, it looks like it should! Yeah to me for remembering that little tidbit of information in the manual!! LOL
You can learn more about the Draminski Ovulation Detector here:
http://dog.draminski.com/draminski-dog-ovulation-detector/
And in Canada, you can purchase the Draminski Ovulation Detector here:
http://www.midwoof.com/store/reproduction/draminski-ovulation-detector/prod_149.html
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Ok...so I jumped the gun a bit...
So I took Porsche in yesterday for a progesterone test because I just wasn't sure...
$100 I find out that she's probably five to seven days away from ovulating. /sigh Oh well, on the upside, I haven't missed her! LOL
Stay tuned for more updates. :)
$100 I find out that she's probably five to seven days away from ovulating. /sigh Oh well, on the upside, I haven't missed her! LOL
Stay tuned for more updates. :)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The time is drawing close....
Porsche is finally in season!! Please keep the good thoughts coming our way as we prepare for our surgical AI breeding to Ronin.
It's an interesting adventure this time around...I've purchased a Draminski Ovulation Detector and it worked great for Lily's season - but this is the true test! :)
Fingers crossed and stay tuned for updates!
It's an interesting adventure this time around...I've purchased a Draminski Ovulation Detector and it worked great for Lily's season - but this is the true test! :)
Fingers crossed and stay tuned for updates!
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