Izzy's 2026 Litter

Pregnancy

19 Jul 2026
Izzy ("Shaksper Iras") came into season today and I have decicded to breed her. If Izzy gets pregnant, this will be Izzy's third and final litter.

25-29 Jul
Based upon testing Izzy's blood for the hormone progesterone, the theriogeneology (reproduction) vets at North Carolina State University advised me when to take Izzy to the stud I had chosen for Izzy. I flew Izzy to Florida and left Izzy with stud dog owner Norma Braun (who is a very experienced Norwich breeder). During this period, Norma bred Izzy several times via side-by-side (vaginal) artificial insemination (AI) - think turkey-baster - to Ziggy ("Janoras Simply A Superstar"). I then flew back to Florida and brought Izzy home.

20 Aug
There is no urine pregnancy test for dogs, as there is for humans. (The reproductive systems are different.) Consequently to confirm pregnancy, we have to wait and do an ultrasound. The ultrasound today at NC State University confirmed that Izzy is pregnant, possibly carrying two puppies. (Those round black blobs are the embryo sacks.) Ultrasound is unreliable for counting the number of puppies, so I never believe the number. For me, ultrasound is useful just to confirm pregnancy. If everything goes well, Izzy's due date is 25 September, plus or minus two days.

22 Aug
As I had to travel, Izzy stayed with my petsitter and her family. At this stage of her pregnancy, there is not much different to be done for Izzy. Izzy gets the same food and the same exercise. The only thing different is that I have added a folic acid pill to Izzy's diet, in the hope of preventing any of her puppies from having a cleft palate. Mostly this is a period for me of waiting ... and for Izzy of gestating. Izzy loves to lie on her back to have her belly rubbed.