Awake At Night

Crazy isn't it, when you lie there awake at night trying to sleep but your brain just has other ideas! I was thinking about Sammi and Mikey and listening to an unsettled Finlay panting and pacing. I wondered what was wrong with him and got up to let him out, he didn't want to go! This morning he hasn't eaten, it's been a long time since he left a meal and it obviously causes concern.

My mind moved on to Sammi and I thought through how the test was explained to me. I've never used this test before but it is supposedly the best there is. Levels should double every 48 hrs, though some bitches are slower.  But if Sammi has read the book today the levels should be 4.4 (ish) and by Tuesday's test 8.8 and therefore she should ovulate on Thursday, making Friday, or Saturday the optimum day for mating.
What I do know is that once she has ovulated the eggs shells (covering/coating) is too hard to be penetrated by the sperm. Over the next 48 hrs this softens ready for fertilization. Puppies are born 63 days from when the eggs are ready to fertilized, this is not necessarily the point of mating. If the bitch was mated a little early, health sperm from a fit young dog can still live for 7 days so pregnancy is still possible, but puppies will come later than 63 days from mating. So obviously if the bitch is mated late and still conceives puppies will arrive earlier than the 63 days from mating. Kia only had one mating to Nico and gave birth 65 days from day of mating, meaning the mating was just a little early, but obviously still viable.

Loki is more interested in Sammi today, and she's not quite the snapping crocodile she was yesterday.  But if I was not testing I still wouldn't be taking her to the male today as Nico and Mikey are still quiet. But I guess I would be thinking of taking her around Wednesday, and if the dog was nearer Friday too. (Or maybe Tuesday, Thursday) Early indications show I would have probably been pretty close to it, but with the distance we need to travel getting one mating bang on does seem the better option. (though diesel to go there twice would have been cheaper than these tests!) Anyway .. lets see what Tuesday test brings, maybe she'll be stuck on 2 ... ahhh!!
It's quite funny here today. With the hormones flying about Tali and Asha are getting quite flirty with Loki. Poor boy doesn't know where to turn, though he's enjoying the extra attention!
So getting back to my sleepless night. Sadly Mikey's growth has grown again .. it's now 14 x 12". A hell of a weight to carry about, though to be honest the boy seem ok in himself again today. He ate breakfast and has been pottering about. He doesn't seem too be bothered by the extra baggage, but I think he does have to put more effort into getting up from lying down. The only other difficulties is that he doesn't gauge how much space he needs to get through a doorway or narrow gap and has caught himself and yelped a few times. If only he'd slow down .. but maybe I'm glad that he hasn't because that at least proves that he is feeling OK in himself. Until a time comes that he can not manage comfortably or he is in pain then we carry on regardless of what he looks like. Repeating myself .. quality of life is and always will be paramount. (The top photo of Mikey is not a great photo as he's just dropped his ball ... but at least it shows what we need to see!)
So this morning I'm having a bad head day, lack of sleep and a refusal to rest now. Well there's things to do and lots to say ... plenty of time to rest later.