August 1, 2006: Fuji waited to come into season long enough to make her first litter possible this fall (after the big rush of apple harvest is mostly over for me). I phoned Bandit's owner to check on his health since he had turned 13 yrs old in May; I was assured his health and viability was still great. That made the final decision to breed Fuji to him much easier as I'd rather do a chilled breeding now than a frozen breeding later. I "guesstimated" August 16th to be the approximate date of the first breeding, but would be in contact after progesterone testing would produce the real answer. Fuji is lean, weighing only ~56#, so I increased her daily food rations by ~1/2 cup immediately. This strategy has proven successful in the past to increase fertility in other animals (including her mom!), so I'm sticking with it!
Aug 4: Mailed stud fee and copies of Fuji's pedigree, OFA certificates, CERF info.,etc, to the stud owner as requested. Since this is the 2nd time I've used Bandit at stud, the process was a little easier for both parties this time!
Aug 7: Took Fuji in for her first vet check. We did a vaginal smear only-- it showed very little cornification, so we will wait a few days to check again.
Aug 8: Ordered 2 "Puppy Paks" from ICSB (International Canine Semen Bank) in Oregon for semen shipping. They were shipped to the stud owner in PA so they'd be there when needed.
Aug 11: Fuji's vaginal smear showed ~80% cornification today, so a blood draw for progesterone was in order.
Aug 12 (Sat am): The results are phoned to me... YIKES!!!! Her progesterone was already at 3.5 ng!!! She will be ovulating TODAY if all goes as normal (ovulation is considered to happen at 5 ng). The rest of the morning is spent frantically making phone calls to see if there is any way to get semen here for Monday. No, is the answer... We'll have to do the first insemination on Tuesday, which will likely be 3 days post ovulation instead of 2. That's still okay according to the repro experts... Bandit will go to the vet in PA on Monday am for his first collection; this specimen will be put in a semen extender (think of it as food for the little swimmers!), packed in icepacks and shipped via UPS overnight to my vet for Tuesday am delivery, 2500 miles away. Have to love modern technology!
Aug 14 (Monday): It's perhaps my busiest week of the apple testing year, and I'm planning a litter... I have decided I'm certifiably NUTS! All day I'm in a panic... Bandit's been collected by now, but should I take Fuji in for another progesterone just to make sure she has really ovulated? After a few hours of hashing it over, talking to other breeder friends on my cell phone while driving (of course!), I decide yes, we need to do that for my own comfort level. Fuji had her 2nd blood draw for progesterone that afternoon.. not that it will change anything for our first insemination, but if we need to delay the 2nd semen shipment, at least we have that option!
Aug 15 (Tues): Fuji goes to the vet for her first chilled semen insemination. We learned that we did good with our timing since her progesterone was at 8.9ng on Monday... yes indeed, it looks like ovulation occurred on Saturday as estimated. We are now 3 days post ovulation, so the eggs should be ripe and ready to be fertilized. Bandit's semen looked good, and the procedure was done within a half hour to a slightly embarrassed Fuji who handled it quite well, all in all. A 2nd breeding appointment was made for Thursday. Bandit's owner was phoned with the good news and request for #2 collection.
Aug 17 (Thurs): The 2nd insemination went fine, and all looked great again. This whole business of getting poked and prodded and "stood on her head" seemed like old hat for Fuji this time! Today she seemed mildly amused and was even more cooperative. What a good girl. Now it's up to the kokapelli (fertility) god to bring us lots of babies after spending a small fortune on the breeding... I am convinced I need a shrink by now, but couldn't afford one if I wanted!
Week of August 28: This is the most dangerous period for Fuji since it is the week that the embryos are most susceptible to chemical damage which can cause cleft palate... Fuji is kept protected from any potentially dangerous situations, including overexcitement (adrenalin rushes). Her diet is mostly unchanged, with the exception that I have cut out almost all nutritional supplements and now am reliant only on her food, Canidae, to supply her with the balanced nutrients she and her hopeful litter needs. Work is still crazy for me, but maybe that's a good thing as I have less time to fret over the situation. The initial signs of pregnancy are there (swollen nipples, vulva, and she's more cuddly than normal...) so I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Week of Sept 3: I await to see if she will get morning sickness like her mom and grandmas, but it doesn't happen. I'm a little depressed as I fear maybe she's not pregnant afterall. Her appetite continues to be normal.
Week of Sept 10: We're now 4 wks post ovulation. Yea!!!! The tape measure tells me Fuji has gained a small amount in girth at her last rib and waistline!!! I'm feeling better now, but not totally comfortable since I did increase her food a tiny bit since she first came into season. Am I measuring fat... or am I measuring puppies? I will keep her at this same amount of food (3 C Canidae) until the answer is clearer. We continue to squeeze in our normal 3 mile group walks and swims to keep her fitness up as often as my work schedule allows, though this is only possible a couple times a week now.
Week of Sept 17: She's continuing to gain, and this week has added at least 1 inch to all 3 of her areas measured (chest, last rib, and waist). Life is good...
Week of Sept 24: Took a photo... yes indeed, she's looking preggers, though she's not as big as mom and grams were at the same stage (6 wks). I'm still happy because Fuji is acting happy as a clam, and getting hungrier... so I have now added 1 cup of Canidae extra before bedtime. She seemed very relieved when I assembled her whelping box in the basement near the end of the week. I explained to her patiently that this is where I *expect* her to whelp, not on the futon! She wagged, but I remain unconvinced of her true intentions.
Week of October 1: Our 7 week measurements continue to increase. She's now added 6" around her last rib and waist, and has added an inch or more at her chest, putting her at 30" or more around at her widest measurement (mid ribcage). I've added 1 more cup as a noontime meal now too. She is still eating great and has only the occasional discomfort due to puppies. I felt the first kicks early in the week-- Fuji seems amused when I talk to her about those little gremlins in there! Walks are now reduced to only 1 - 1.5 miles. Swimming will be curtailed after this week, though I'm sure by now the puppies are strong swimmers... LOL! I took a baseline rectal temperature this week so I know what is normal for her. She was 100F. I have now dug up all my whelping supplies so we are as ready as we can be!
Week of October 8: Now we are into our countdown mode... Fuji is due on Saturday, October 14, which is 63 days (9 wks) post ovulation. At 8 wks, she now measures 8.5- 9" extra around her last ribs and waistline. The puppies are kicking like mad now, and actually caused her to be startled a couple times. She's definitely less comfortable, but continues to enjoy our now shorter walks. I will start taking her temperature regularly this week to watch for the sudden drop to below 99F, which should give me a 12-24 hr notice that the whelping process will be underway. Since her mom, Rosa, tended to whelp a day early, I am hopeful we can get this done during regular vet clinic hours on Friday, just in case!!! At least we now have a 24 hour emergency clinic open on weekends in Yakima!!!
October 12: It's Day 61, and Fuji's temperature is still hanging around 100F, normal for her. She's definitely less comfortable now, and having a hard time sleeping through the night. Don't know if that's due to the puppies kicking or she's just toying with me since we are sleeping in the whelping quarters now (getting her used to her new room). She no longer enjoys getting too far from the house, so walks have been curtailed. She has now gained nearly 10" around her waist and ribcage-- very close to what her mom and grandma increased w/ their litters of 8 pups. Time will tell if measurements are any indication of numbers though. There have been several friendly wagers amongst friends placed over litter size, breakdown by color/sex and first pup's arrival.
October 14: Due day... temperature finally dropped after alot of "ping-ponging" up and down. Fuji is miserable.I managed to get 2 hrs sleep Friday (13th) night, and squeezed a half hour nap in on Sunday am. Finally her temperature has dropped for good!
October 15, 1 am: First puppy arrives after considerable stress. We were on our way to the emergency clinic twice, as a matter of fact, for puppy #1 (a chocolate male) and pupply #2 (a chocolate girl who was breached and stuck). Both pups were delivered safely at home in the garage on the way out the door. I swear Fuji heard me say, "We're going to the VET"! Final tally is 7 pups... 1 black male, 2 chocolate males, 2 black females, and 2 chocolate females. They are every bit as vigorous as Rosa's litter-- on their feet almost immediately and very active. Fuji is adjusting well to motherhood and came through the pregnancy at an ideal weight. I sure appreciated the weekend assistance of my friend Susie w/ all the excitement we had!
Week 1: On my "To Do" list: Weigh puppies daily. Call vet for dew claw removal. Call for Puppy CERFs (eye exam) in the TriCities for early December when pups are ~7-7.5 wks old. Call stud owner and submit AKC litter registration. Weigh puppies daily and start the "Early Neurological Stimulation" (aka Super Puppy) program. Most important, CUDDLE puppies!!!!!!
