Part of the day, Ruby has been ensconced in a well appointed ex pen in the middle of our living room during her heat cycle. This affords her a good view of the kitchen, the centre of her universe. If Sami approaches, boyishly charming, she looks right past him (usually at me, the bringer of all good things) and if he hangs around for more than ten seconds, she provides a lip lift, soft growl or harmless air snap just to make things absolutely clear.

This morning, he came bouncing in from outside, play bowed and pranced around the pen. She looked right at him, dropped her ears down against her head and threw a little play bow right back at him.

Ahh, the power of hormones.

So now we’re on serious lockdown.

Yesterday, very early o’clock, I was standing outside Sidney Animal Hospital, shouting at my veterinarian, Dr. Nigel Bass. Shouting, because we were trying to be heard over the din of two cement trucks, barrels grinding, diesel engines roaring, as we planned Ruby’s next steps, socially distanced on the sidewalk. The Covid 19 pandemic adds a little spicy sauce to everything we do nowadays!

Her first blood draw was taken to test for her progesterone levels. These tests are vitally important to correctly time the insemination procedure. We will need to repeat that test a few times until the hormone levels tell us that she’s at her optimum moment for breeding.

Here’s a nice readable explanation of that. https://wacvet.ca/services/vaginal-cytology/

I’ve just heard back from Dr. Bass about the results. She’s very low still and it’s his opinion that we can wait until Monday to do another blood test. I have monitored Ruby’s heat cycles in the past and they are quite ‘textbook’ in their regularity and characteristics, so I am comfortable with that decision.

I feel very fortunate to have Dr. Bass as my reproduction veterinarian. Not many vets choose this specialty and they are not easy to find. I am doubly fortunate because I have a second reproduction veterinarian, Dr. Sophia Fanous on the mainland. She will be doing the insemination procedure. I am grateful for them both.