Poster

Siska's Diary -2024

4/6/24 - Well, talk of catching me off guard .. Siska came in season 6 weeks early on the 18th of May. Maybe because Beti was in season? Maybe not? To be honest, I had been suspicious since Orin started reading her "letters"  and marking over them in late April. I commented then that it was really early for him to be so observant if she was to follow her normal pattern. (Blog post 25th of April) Still all is well and good as hopefully pups would now be ready to leave earlier in the Autumn.

The last time we tried to mate her, Siska was 6.6 on day 11 and rose to 23 in 48 hrs by day13. Bitches usually have similar seasons, but this time Siska decided to do it differently. 

Siska went for her first test on day 11, now Orin told me it was going to be low, but bloody hell I didn't expect it to be that low. Someone is playing the same game as her mother!!!! 

Test 2 was on day 14, again I expected it to be a tad higher. Orin was starting to show interest in her, but still eating, and it was still pretty quiet here. Now ideally I'd have had the next test on day 16, but that was a Sunday so we decided to take Siska to Lucca to see how it went on the day. Knowing what I know now, then a mating on Sunday could well have been successful, as the test on day 17 showed that she had ovulated on Sunday. 

So yeah, test 3 - day 17 - 23nmol/L. So Siska had doubled every 36 hrs. We have noticed this pattern in our females, either doubling every 36 or even 24 hrs and not every 48 hrs as Idexx originally suggested. So following the same chart as I have for years - Ovulation is between 13 and 18 and with a score of 23 mating is suggested immediately or within 2 days. 

With Lucca being a maiden dog it was hard to know what would happen, but having a friend kindly offering her dog as a "back up plan" gave a safety net. (My bag was packed and van filled with fuel - just in case!) There was nervous tension from me as Lucca's inexperience was so obvious, but bloody hell, after some hilarity he got there! So the first mating was today - 3/06/24. Siska was fantastic - he'll never get it as easy again, Orin rarely has! 

Today we had the second mating, so day 18. Going on what she had done so far, she will be on 46 ish by 11pm tonight, so mid to high 30ies by the mating this afternoon. Again another very successful, natural mating with a 20 min tie. 

What has confused the situation is that last time she went up really quickly before ovulation, actually to 23 again, but it then took her 4 days to go up to 50 ... hmm, will she do this again? Well, to safeguard the situation as best as we can ... we'll have another mating tomorrow. I doubt she will be over 64 by tomorrow, once they reach 64 the eggs are mature but dying. Ideally the eggs should be ripening and softening ready to be fertilised by the time the sperm gets there, so the best matings are 48 hrs after ovulation, so I'd say today. The sperm can also live for 5 - 7 days, that's why it's better to be too early than too late, and that's why you'll often hear people say "Oh she gave birth 3 days early." "No she didn't, you calculated the gestation time from the time of mating, when it should be from the time of ovulation!" Knowing the day of ovulation gives a 3 day window for a normal birth! 

Anyway, so why bother with another mating? Why not? If they want to, of course. If Siska says no, then so be it! Another mating will also help Lucca build up confidence and gain experience, and will help him and I start to build a rapport if I'm going to manage his future studs. More than one matings dose not mean larger litters, the dogs produce millions of sperm, but bitch will only have so many eggs to fertilise, some may only have one, some may have double figures, what will be will be ...

5/6/24 - Well no mating today. Lucca was very enthusiastic, but Siska said "No!" So here's hoping that mother nature has told her there is no need for further matings! If her eggs are already fertilised then Siska will no longer "want" the mating, but boys will be boys and of course Lucca was more than willing today.  

20/6/24 - If we consider the day of the first mating at 1 then today is day 18. There really has been nothing to report, Siska has eaten well only missing yesterday's breakfast - Siska just being Siska I guess. So yes she has pink pointing nipples, but so does Beti, yes she, very affectionate, so is Beti .. all signs of pregnancy, but equally all signs of hormonal changes after seasons. To hopefully compare later she measures 28", she's not a broad bitch, but she is quite deep under that skirt! I think I'll look at her and update this post early in the week over the next two weeks - unless there is something interesting to report of course! Oh and the pendulum, well it says she's pregnant ... and it says Beti isn't ... but it did lie to me last time didn't it!  

24/6/24 - day 22 - other than a couple of missed breakfasts there is nothing to report, everything is the same as it was on day 18. There is no mood change, no morning sickness, her vulva has remained the same and there is no discharge. The roller-coaster of emotions begin ... 

25/6/24 - day 23 - I have a sinking feeling in my stomach, I fear the major disappointment which may be ahead! No shows are closing just yet so I can hedge my bets a little longer.

29/6/24 - day 27 - Same old really, Siska has pink pointing nipples and very little appetite. She eats part of her breakfast and part of her dinner, and any treats on offer, of course. When Kaiah and Sammi did this I knew they were pregnant as they never normally left food, but at this time after her season Siska always does ... No discharge and no changes to her vulva. I'm not saying she's not pregnant, many bitches hide it till 5 - 6 weeks, I'm just reporting that there are no current definite pregnancy indications. An old wives tale maybe, but the hair is not laying flat on her sides just above her skirt, how accurate this is of an indicator of pregnancy I don't know, but I have read about it ...  Anyway taking photos of nipples is not something I tend to do, but having noted changes in Kaiah and Sammi between 4 - 5 weeks I thought I'd take a photo to compare either this time or next, so the back nipple and the next one up on the same side! (I have also checked - and the pink colour of her nipples faded by day 28 when she was not pregnant, now I'll be looking too bloody often!)  

01/07/24 - day 29 - Time to face facts that there will be no puppies, I'll hang on till the end of the week before posting with the hope that I'm wrong, it would be so good to be wrong! 

02/07/24 - day 30 - Ok I'm a little less pessimistic today, yesterday was a bad "Kaiah" day. Siska has finally eaten a whole meal this morning, and half of one tonight. When I came home from shopping, I also thought "she looks a tad different" behind the ribs", a little like Sammi did in that 6th week when she was carrying 3. I've measure her tonight - 29" hmm!! It's far too early to get my hopes up, but since I'm writing, there are things that have happened the last couple of days that need recording. 

1, There is interest in Siska's wee, from the entire males and the females. Orin even peeing over it! 

2, Sammi is quite "off" with Beti .. Why? Hormones maybe? 

3, The oddest experiences - Siska legged it playfully after Orin in the field, he turned towards her, play-bowed and ran towards her, before he got there she froze and screamed, and I mean screamed .. he was about 4ft away and just stood there looking at her with a completely puzzled expression. To break the stand-off I called them over and gave them treats for the recalls ... but? Well I don't know! If she is pregnant, maybe she was protecting herself? If she's not, it could still be hormonal. 

03/07/24 - day 31 - Well if it's possible to go from totally pessimistic to cautiously optimistic in 48hrs, well I have done. Let's cross everything now and discuss a scan when the timing is suitable (Over the next few days)

OMG I have just come home from dog club - this bitch is definitely pregnant! OMG

04/07/24 - day32 - I messaged Suzanna last night after club - I told her that Siska had a lot of feathering -she didn't think it would be a problem ... until she put the jell on her and realised how thick the feathering was!!!! The thickness of feathering made the videos and photos grainy, so she couldn't tell how many, but without doubt there is four. She has invited me back on Monday morning and she'll shave her belly and do me a free scan for a more accurate idea of numbers. Yes I cried! 

Birthday Girls

Ruby, Abbie

Beti, Polly

I think Abbie and Beti look most alike! 

Happy Birthday Beti

In the process of being moved the music seems to have gone - Black Betty of course. 

Elka

Very proud of Blanik Leila - (Siska's sister "Pink") At the Yorkshire Hoopers competition on Sunday Elka achieved three clear rounds out of the 5 courses she ran and managed to get the distance handling bonus on two of them. Meaning she has now achieved clear rounds at least once in each category (Tunnellers, Barrellers, Touch and Go and Hoopers) so has now qualified to go to the Canine Hoopers UK National Finals in August. Nice one Elka

Beti Photo

Love this photo of Beti, it is cropped out from an unsuccessful group pics, but she looks fab so it needed to be saved. It's getting close to time to score her hips and elbows and the thought of putting her under GA for that is beyond frightening. I think I may talk to the vets about doing it under sedation .. it has to be done, somehow! 

My Family

Yesterday

 Well I spent the most part of yesterday crying, a total emotional wreck. It's now 4 weeks since the mating and I don't see any indications that Siska is pregnant. In saying that I'm not saying she's not pregnant, just that there are no positive signs. Yes, she's been off her food for 5 - 6 days, yes she has pink nipples, yes she quite cuddly, all possible indications of pregnancy, but as she does all of the above after every season and there is no change from her routine, then it's impossible to tell. 

Really the emotional breakdown is/was more than the possibility of one missed pregnancy, it's all about Kaiah and the importance of this pregnancy. Stupidly, I guess, I have it in my head that having a Kaiah granddaughter will bring me some closeness to her and help me move on, if such a thing is possible. Once I start thinking about Kaiah, and have time on my hands to overthink, then the nightmare continues for me. The guilt never goes away, but mostly with my canine family I can enjoy life .. till I get a day like yesterday! My need to carry this line on through Siska becomes paramount because it is the only way of keeping Kaiah in the pedigree, Siska is the only entire Kaiah daughter. Yesterday in my head, there was no hope, no other way forward, yesterday it was tears and sadness ... I even made the Beti poster to try and distract myself! 

I do worry that I have dug myself into a hole, if Siska is unable to conceive and if Beti has elbow issues then I'm in a difficult situation. I guess I have Orin to fall back on, providing he is ever used again, and that I like the motherline of the litter. It really seems to be dead as regards to studs, and not just in GSD's apparently. I guess if I get desperate there are other Orin daughters, Polly, Abbie, Nica and Mayzee's owner has also been discussing health testing. Should it come to it, there are females out there that carry my bitch-line back to the beginning, from the "I "litter, but losing Kaiah, and Siska from the future of Blanik would be heartbreaking!