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!!
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