All Is Well On Day 49
Wednesday, October 28th, 2020Alice’s progesterone is 6.6 ng/ml today and she weighs 29.8 pounds! It was 5.6 ng/mL on Monday and she weighed 29.3 pounds then. It’s normal for it to gradually taper off as we get closer to her due date, and going slightly up and down is normal, but the rule is under 5 with more than a week to go means supplement. But we’re good so far! That’s a relief. We will recheck Friday or Saturday. She has gained a lot of puppy weight (we only increased her food last Wednesday and then only by 30%, so that’s puppies and placentas, not Alice). I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more than 6 on board, x-ray next Tuesday for a puppy count!
Today I sent off some of her blood (serum actually) to the University of Wisconsin for nomograph testing. This will help determine the optimal time to vaccinate the puppies to hit the sweet spot between where their maternal antibodies are waning (their own immune systems won’t make antibodies while their maternal antibodies are still at a high level) but before they’re completely unprotected. This is my first time doing this and I’m excited to see the results!
This weekend I will make up and freeze some Myra’s Formula to have on hand just in case. That was one of the things I was most thankful I’d done last time when I ended up having to tube feed Popcorn/Cora for a few days. I will also pull out all my whelping supplies and make sure everything is still working properly.
TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY is her official due date. So a day either side is in the zone!