This journey began in January 2007.

Unfortunately the January mating did not take, but luckily for us it did take in August 2007!

Deciding who to breed to

Dottie x Tony

Riverdance Dorothy of Aldebaran JH RN x CH Topform Clayburn Barolo WC

We decided to use Tony with this breeding because of his structure, temperament, birdiness, and trainability.  I first saw Tony when I visited Sherry Anderson in December of 2005.  What a handsome boy and what a pedigree.  In Tony's pedigree are MH producing bitches and sisters of MH.  Tony goes back to the first CH/MH bitch, CH Broad Reach Trace of Grace MH.  The pedigree also has many BISS (Best in Specialty Show) dogs in his pedigree as well.  Some of the BISS dogs in the pedigree are CH Waifin's Wing and a Prayer, CH Dickendall Arnold, AM/CAN CH Linrays Over the Top, CH Tabatha's Drifter at Dickendall JH, and CH Balrion Over To You.  The BISS bitch in his pedigree is CH Wiscoy's Disquise The Limit CGC. 

To see a picture of Tony: go to my "links" page, click on the link to Sher-Mi Labradors, and on the Sher-Mi website go to "our boys" page to see Tony and his pedigree.

Time to begin

Dottie came into season on 1/5/07, a Friday.  Let the games begin!!!  Call the stud owner and let her know we are getting ready.  Be sure all your paperwork is in order and the stud contract is signed and the fees are paid.  Contact the shipper of the semen so they know you will be calling for the semen to be overnight delivered sometime in the near future.  Contact the Veterinarian who will be doing the insemination.  Give your supervisor notice that you will need some time off to take your dog for appointments with the vet.

Deciding on method of insemination

The method was determined way before Dottie came into season.  Since Tony was in Oklahoma and he was only available via frozen semen, we decided to do surgical insemination to increase the odds of having pups from a maiden bitch and to maximize the number of puppies in the litter. 

Deciding who would do the insemination

I had called all the Walla Walla, WA and Milton-Freewater, OR Veterinarians and did not find anyone who had done the procedure.  On the canine reproduction list I am on someone recommended Dr. Perger at Fairwood Animal Hospital in Spokane.  Although Spokane is 3 1/2 hours away I was willing to look into it.  I contacted Dr. Perger and paid for a consultation via phone.  I was very impressed with him and decided that was where I was going to have the surgery performed.  Dr. Perger has been to several of Dr. Hutchison's seminars and uses his techniques.

Dr. Perger told me that the biggest part of surgical insemination is the timing.  We needed to make sure we put the semen on the eggs when the eggs were ready for fertilization, 3 days after ovulation. 

Deciding where to go to do progesterone testing

We wanted to be sure we used a laboratory that ran the progesterone tests on Saturday, and who would fax or email the results that evening or the following morning.  Since Dr. Perger was used to working with Antek and Phoenix Laboratories those were the labs we wanted to use.  We ended up using Antek Laboratory for our progesterone testing. 

None of the Veterinarians in Walla Walla had courier services for Antek or Phoenix Laboratories.  There were several clinics in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) that had courier services but I could not find anyone that would come in on Sunday to check the results, or draw blood if necessary.  Also, we found out that prices per progesterone test ranged from $90 per test to $116 per test (Tri-Cities with courier service).  Some of the clinics wanted a well check before they would do a blood draw which cost another $40.  After many phone calls and taking a look at prices we decided to take Dottie to Spokane and board her there until all the blood draws and the surgery was completed.  We estimate to have saved $400 by taking her to Spokane versus using someone local (Tri-Cities is only 60 miles from Walla Walla).

Notes to others wanting to have surgical insemination done on their bitch:

If you are wanting to use this method for your breeding, be sure to do your research as to what laboratory your Vet uses, find out when the lab run the tests, and what method does the lab use to get the results to your Vet.  Also double check to see if your Vet will draw blood on Sat and if he/she will come into work on Sunday to read the results.  Also, make sure whomever does the surgery is willing to do the surgery on Sunday if needed.  I was AMAZED at how few Vets came to work on Sundays.  Lastly, be sure you use a Vet that has a courier service running the samples to the Lab/plane.  Some Vets I spoke with said Fed-X was fine and they only had one sample lost in several years.  I will only use a courier.  Prices can vary greatly between clinic so check it out and also make sure the person you use is qualified and uses the methodology you want.

When to Progesterone Test

Since Dottie was a maiden bitch we did not have a clue what her cycle would be like.  The first test was done 1/11/07 on day 7 (after spotting began) of her cycle.  That test came back on Friday showing she was 1.65 on Thursday.  Since the findings were below 2.0 we skipped one day (International Canine Semen Bank protocol) and re-tested on 1/13/07.  We got the results on Sunday morning that she had been 3.98 on Saturday.  Although they would not run tests on Sunday we still had blood collected that day to be shipped on Monday and run on Monday.  The results indicated she was at 6.50 on Sunday so she had ovulated sometime between Sat morning and Sunday morning.  When a dog hits 5 they have ovulated. 

When to do the surgery

Surgical insemination is done three days after ovulation.  The surgery would be done on Tuesday, 1/16/07.  Go to the AKC website and download the litter registration for frozen insemination litter and start filling it out.  When you have the surgery done you will need the Veterinarian to fill out his part and to sign the paperwork .  Essentially he states that he put it in and notes what he vial identification number was.  You need to check the box if you saw him do the surgery.

When to Ship the semen

This is where you want to have full faith in your Veterinarian.  In our case we knew on Thursday that she was a 1.65 so Dr. Perger knew she would not ovulate on Friday.  Presuming she ovulated on Sat the eggs would not be ready until Tuesday.  Monday was a holiday, Martin Luther King Day.  The semen shipper and airlines needed to be contacted to make sure they could pick up and ship on Monday so the semen could be available on Tuesday.  All looked good!  Then the weather changed in Oklahoma and they had an ice storm.  Luckily the planets were aligned and the shipper was able to get the semen to the airport.  Whew! 

note:  The frozen semen comes in pellets in a vial.  The vial is placed in a liquid nitrogen container.  The container is filled with product that will absorb and keep the semen frozen.  The vessel it comes in will keep the semen frozen about 3 days.  If you need to keep it longer arrange for your veterinarian to have the container filled with liquid nitrogen and it will be good longer!

Did the semen make it to your Veterinarian?

Check the website of the shipper to track your vessel. 

Testing for motility of thawed semen

The staff at Fairwood Animal Hospital were very professional and helpful in walking me through the process.  I was even allowed to observe the motility of the semen after it was thawed.

How did the surgery go?

Dottie was bred using frozen semen that was surgically implanted into her uterine horns on 1/16/07.  The surgery was performed at Fairwood Animal Hospital in Spokane, WA.  It only took 20 minutes to do the full surgery.  Amazing!  Dottie did great!

Now we wait.

  To give me something to do in the meantime I will measure her abdomen, just behind the last rib.  Some breeders say they can estimate the number of pups they will have based upon the increase in the size of the abdomen.  This is the first bitch I have done this with. 

At the end of week 1 her abdomen measured 23 inches.  Dottie is already acting like she is pregnant.  She is very clingy and is becoming my shadow.

At the end of week 2 she measured 24 inches. 

At the end of week 3 she remained at 25 inches.

At the end of week 4 she increased to 25 inches around her abdomen. 

At the end of week 5 she measured 26 inches around her abdomen.  Dottie is starting to get a slight bulge behind the last rib.

At the end of week 6 she measured 27 inches around her abdomen. 

At the end of week 7 she measured 27 1/2 inches around her abdomen. 

March 9 (day 55 after ovulation) we had Dottie x-rayed and unfortunately we did not see any puppies.  We did everything right but for some reason the breeding just did not take.  Dottie measured 27 1/2 inches around her abdomen today.  Although the x-rays did not show any pups we will continue to watch her for the next week just incase there happens to be a sneaky pup that is good at paying hide and seek.

FAST FORWARD TO REPEAT BREEDING WITH TONY

August 12, 2007

Dottie was surgically inseminated using frozen semen. 

Dottie was bred on day 16 (after spotting began).  Dr. Perger performed the surgery on August 12, 2007 at 2pm!!!  It was estimated that her pups would be due October 11, 2007, just 63 days after ovulation (not insemination).

Dottie's pregnancy was confirmed on 9/11/07 via ultrasound, just 4 weeks and 2 days after she was inseminated.  Ultrasound can be done as early as 4 weeks after insemination.  Go to Dottie's page to see ultrasound pictures of Dottie's litter and to watch the pups grow!