Welcome to our new blog for our upcoming Astra/Piston match-up! Astra is our co-owned girl from our Kyrie/Leo litter. Piston is an awesome stud from Victory Shilohs in Canada who has produced wonderful pups for us in the past. We are waiting for Astra to go back into heat, so stay tuned!
Piston says, What's up, Astra?
Well, my last update was a while ago and all of the people on our list know via email that the last heat didn't go through for Astra.
We have been waiting to see if she would go back into heat, and when. I was originally thinking that perhaps she would go back in in the fall…but we will keep you all posted! Stay tuned! Astra, we are waiting on you…
Hello all!
We had our appointment for progesterone draw on day ten of Astra's heat on Thursday (yesterday). As of yet her progesterone levels are staying low--we can't breed till they go up! So for now it's a waiting game. But I did get more cute Astra photos! Above, her sweet face, and below, Astra and her owner, my good friend Jarrad, while we wait for results.
Silly Astra trivia: Jarrad calls Astra's fluffy paws her "Dr. Suess feet". :) For show dogs, we trim the fluff to keep the foot neat, but of course if you're not showing you can keep them au naturale if you wish. Only plush Shilohs get the fluffy feet!
So, plan for the weekend is to let things stew and hopefully ramp up! We will next test on Monday, which would be Day 14, and around when Astra's momma Kyrie always had her peak...so I would not be surprised to see the breeding happening on Tuesday or Wednesday. Keep your eyes on the blog and stay tuned for further news!!
Astra is in heat!
We had our first appointment to take progesterone yesterday, on Day Three. Progesterone is still very low so we are not close to breeding yet!
Our next appointment will be Saturday morning, and then either Monday or Tuesday. We continue testing every two to three days until we see a rise and then we arrange for the breeding!
Stay tuned...
Dr. Esmond performed an exam and took Astra's progesterone levels to establish a baseline. We will do progesterone testing to determine when Astra is ready to be bred, so it helps to know what is "normal" for her. As her heat begins, the progesterone number starts low. It will slowly rise until it peaks at more than five times its base level. Female dogs can peak at anything from five days in to 20 days after the start of their heat! After the peak, the eggs are released and will take two days to become fertile.
At that two days mark, Dr. Esmond will perform what is called a TCI, or trans-cervical insemination. Because Piston is from eastern Canada, we will ship his semen and the TCI is a form of AI. We are very excited to find a vet who can perform the TCI, as it's a relatively new technology and has a very high rate of success!
We'll keep you posted as to how things are progressing over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!!
