Talk about a roller coaster! I thought this week was going to be quite straight forward. I was told to get a blood sample taken on Day 8 and then send this to the Lab for testing. The plan was, I would get the test results on Day 9 and would then know when to take Tilly to the stud dog. As a result, all plans for the Jubilee celebrations and half term are currently in limbo, as we don't know when Tilly will be ready for the stud dog.
The results were phoned through to me on Day 9, and I was told that Tilly's Progesterone levels were at 1.4 which means that Tilly has not yet ovulated. I now need to wait another couple of days until Friday (Day 11) to get another blood sample taken. Rather worryingly,the results won't be known until Day 12 which happens to be the Saturday of the big Jubilee bank holiday. The lab won't be open again until the following Wednesday which is Day 16. I am really hoping that Tilly will have higher progesterone levels on Friday so that we can make plans for the mating date.
Because I didn't understand what a progesterone level of 1.4 meant, I thought I would do a bit of research of my own. Here's what I found:
Prior to coming into season, the progesterone levels are quite low (less than 1ng (ng=nanograms). As the cycle continues the progesterone levels start to slowly climb. At 5ng, ovulation occurs. In order to time the breeding correctly, it is necessary to identify when the progesterone levels reach 2.5ng/ml, that way the mating schedule can be set up. Natural breeding should take place 3 days after the 2.5ng/ml mark. There are other ways of breeding such as artificial insemination with either fresh chilled and or frozen semen, but we won't be concerned with those methods!
Just as I am writing this, the phone rang, and it was the vet asking if I had checked whether the lab will be open to analyse the results, (due to it being the bank holiday), they were conscious that it might be closed. It's good to know that the vet is forward thinking!
Anyhow, I am anxiously hoping that Tilly's progesterone levels will have risen sufficiently so that we can plan our trip to the stud dog – here's hoping………
Speak Your Mind