Hope's Second Pregnancy Week One

Continuation of Hope's First Week of Pregnancy...


Sunday 4/22/12 Pregnancy Day 6 (Heat Day 17) I was shocked when Hope again began to bleed that morning and both dogs were clearly interested in each other again! Back to the web and after more research and thankfully finding a community of breeders online I was relieved to discover that dames often begin to bleed again after ovulation although if they have tied within the traditionally accepted fertile period than chances are they are well on their way to being pregnant and their body is just finishing the heat cycle. As I said, I didn’t know any of this the first time around so exactly how this will affect her projected due date, I have no idea but just to be safe, I allowed Hope & Remi to tie one last time.

Monday 4/23/12 Pregnancy Day 7 (Heat Day 18) Hope is still bleeding, still urinating frequently, her vulva is still swollen, but the dogs are not interested in each other today.

Tuesday 4/24/12 Pregnancy Day 8 (End of Pregnancy Week 1) Officially Hope is still finishing her heat cycle but with the end of her first week of pregnancy we will no longer continue to comment on her heat unless something important arises. The dogs are still uninterested in each other today. Thier relationship appears to be returning to normal. Her vulva and nipples are still enlarged and should remain this way, gradually increasing in size throughout her pregnancy.

Timeline: According to various websites, this is what has taken place during the first week of pregnancy… 1. Sperm fertilize Eggs in oviducts 2. Fertilized Eggs migrate down the oviducts and into the uterine horns spacing themselves apart to allow enough space for Eggs to grow individually 3. Eggs develop into blastocystes.

Parallel: Hope’s first week of pregnancy during her first litter ended on 9/3/11. By the end of that week, the only noticeable change was her appetite, it decreased. I did give her her monthly heartworm preventative on 9/1/11. She had been on it faithfully for several years and the vet verified it as safe for pregnant dames. Always ask your vet before giving any kind of meds or preventatives to your pregnant dame. Most heartworm preventatives are also multiple dewormers and if you are consistently (monthly) deworming then you won’t need to do any extra deworming before breeding. I did not give her any flea/tick meds, either orally or topically, or use any medicated shampoos, sprays, dips, etc. during her pregnancy. The safety info online is sketchy at best and the vet was hesitant about using them simply because she was so early in her pregnancy, it was her first pregnancy, and the risk of toxicity was high. Ultimately, I decided that I was not willing to risk either the health or life of my dame or pups and chose not to use any flea/tick/pesticides during her pregnancy. Use mild shampoos, keep your dame indoors, keep her and her bedding clean, and keep your house clean and you shouldn’t have to worry about pests or parasites. If you have other pets in the house, feel free to use the meds and preventatives on them to discourage pests from clinging to them and risking attaching themselves to your dame. Also, consider pests prevention of your house and lawn before breeding and be sure to inform your groomer of your dames pregnancy to insure that they also take the necessary precautions with shampoos and such.

Hope's Second Pregnancy Day One

Continuing with Hope's Heat and Pregnancy...

Tuesday 4/17/12 Pregnancy Day 1 (Heat Day 12) Because their first tie occurred within the traditionally acceptable fertile range of Heat Day 11-18 we consider 24 hours after the first tie to be the traditionally accepted first day of pregnancy. Hope & Remi also tie again and are then separated for another 24 hours.

Parallel: 8/27/11 Hope Heat Day 12 and her & Remi’s first tie resulting in her first litter.

Wednesday 4/18/12 Pregnancy Day 2 (Heat Day 13) Hope & Remi tie again and are again separated for 24 more hours… Remi hates this and howls his disapproval all night long! I honestly believe the heat is worse for the males than the females! Hope is content to sleep the day away!

Parallel: 8/28/11 Hope Heat Day 13 and her & Remi’s second tie also considered her first day of pregnancy resulting in her first litter. Hope & Remi did not tie again during this heat.

Thursday 4/19/12 Pregnancy Day 3 (Heat Day 14) Hope has stopped bleeding and based on what I’ve read that means that she has ovulated. Now this is the complicated part… some say that a dog doesn’t ovulate until she stops bleeding. Some say that for the first 36-48 hours after ovulation the eggs are not ripe enough to be penetrated and fertilized by the sperm. Some say that based on this you should count your pregnancy dates from 24 hours after the first tie which took place 48 hours after ovulation…. I have no idea! I did not have all this “ovulation knowledge” during the first pregnancy and therefore did not bother to check to see when she stopped bleeding, but since we had puppies exactly 60 days after the first tie it is obvious that she ovulated around that time! Anyway, on this day, Hope & Remi tied again, were separated again, this time for 36 hours due to the possibility of ovulation and wanting the sperm to be fresh when it found the supposedly ripe eggs!

Friday 4/20/12 Pregnancy Day 4 (Heat Day 15) Following the 36 hour waiting period due to possible ovulation, Hope & Remi tie again and are separated.

Saturday 4/21/12 Pregnancy Day 5 (Heat Day 16) Nothing happens on this day. Both dogs rest contentedly, completely uninterested in each other. I honestly thought everything was over!

Hope & Remi Second Pregnancy

Today is a very exciting day in our house!! It marks the end of Week One of Hope’s Second Pregnancy! Let’s fill in the blanks that got us to this point (For those interested in the extra details of breeding, these are my personal observations combined with information from various websites). Obviously, these are only my observations regarding my own dogs and based on my own research and any questions or concerns that you have should be shared with your vet! These observations also include parallel observations from Hope’s previous pregnancy last Autumn.

Dame: CKC Shih Tzu Shimmering “Hope” Diamond (4/11/08)

Sire: CKC Shih Tzu The Duke, “Remington” L’amoure (6/23/10)

Friday 4/6/12, Hope’s First Day of Heat! We woke up that morning to bright red spotting on the bedding and it continued throughout the day. Hope spent the better part of the day smelling and licking her lightly swollen vulva and Remi also became quite interested in this new development! Over the next week, Hope continued to spot and her vulva to swell. She continued to smell and lick it often and so did Remi. Her need to urinate also increased significantly, resulting in long walks (It is assumed that dames in heat urinate in small amounts often along a certain trail to spread the news that they are in heat and attract males). Remi did not attempt to mount her during this first week and she was not yet willing to let him either.

Parallel: 8/16/11, Hope’s First Day of Heat with her First Litter (Just under 8 months between heat cycles)

Sunday 4/15/12, Heat Day 10. Hope’s first male visitor (other than Remi) shows up at the front door! Male dogs up to five miles away can detect the scent of a female in heat and have an irrisistable urge to be with them. It is recommended that you keep your dame in your house and always take her out on a leash to prevent her from becoming involved with a stray male during her entire heat. If you have a breeding pair as I do, then it is also recommended that you keep him inside and only taken out on a leash to prevent possible fights with other males. Even the friendliest and most socialized males will fight to the death for a female during heat!

Monday 4/16/12 Heat Day 11 and Hope & Remi’s First Tie! Hope was finally ready for what is called “standing heat” meaning she is willing to stand for Remi as he mounts. She starts off with a little flirty dance, waving her tail in front of him called “flagging”! Within a few minutes of trying they became locked together or “Tied” which lasted just under thirty minutes. Initially Hope gets a little panicky and snaps at Remi so I settle down on the floor with them, taking deep calming breaths, speaking softly, humming, and slowly petting them to calm them down and help them remain calm throughout the ordeal. This is the best way to insure that neither makes any sudden, jerky movements that could potentially injure the other. After the initial tie, I separate them for the next 24 hours to allow Remi’s sperm a chance to replenish (Hope is pleased, Remi is not and howls most of the day and night).

Final Update on Hope & Remi's First Litter

Several months late in coming but the final update on the first litter of CKC Shih Tzu pups born to Hope & Remi is this... at eight weeks old and just in time for Christmas, all three pups went to new homes! Healthy as horses, the vet decided they didn't even need the usual worming treatments, their health was so flawless!! Talk about a proud Dog-Mommy!! I walked out of the vet's office feeling at least ten feet tall that day! Since then Hope has recovered by leaps and bounds and is looking fabulous!! Having recently come into heat again this Spring, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of June puppies!! My plan is to record more closely the details of her pregnancy paralleling similar events in her previous pregnancy for others searching for canine pregnancy related information. I search the web continuously for detailed information and have found two very helpful websites which I've listed here on the left side column of my blog.