WOW--Squeak pulled a shocker

You could knock me over with a feather. Today was the last preg check of the season--and a late one at that, as they really should have been done the first weekend we were on our Canada trip. Then it took me a week to get Kevin out to ultrasound for me, since I did not even call til the middle of the week.

He came today at 1 pm, and it was about 100 degrees--we were all miserable dropping sweat on the ultrasound machine, but sure enough--Squeak is in foal! She is bred to Peppy Plays for Cash, 1999 Bay stallion by Playgun. In fact, he is the highest money earner by Playgun, with well over 300K in cutting money earned, and came back out to show this year as well, and doing well for himself.

I have to get out my book, but she should be right around 32 days or so.

This just goes to show you how strange the breeding business is. Her first breeding was picture perfect--some of the best semen we had ever seen, a beautiful follicle that ovulated within 24 hours of her insemination, ideal circumstances. No baby. This second go round was not so good--we had to scramble to find someone to do it as Dr M was at some dental vet thingy, we ultrasounded on a Monday to find that she was open and had about a 25 follicle. First opportunity to get semen here was that Thursday, and we did not even ultrasound her at that time to see where she was. Kevin could tell she was in hard heat by how eaasily he could get past her cervix, and she had not yet ovulated, but no telling how close she was at that time. They sent a LOT of semen, and we were bound and determined to get as much in there as possible, but it was a bit of a circus doing it in the stall, with no stocks, and me trying to pull up more semen in the syringe to push through the tube you use to inseminate--just juggling them all and not ending up with a pile in the floor was surprising to me, but we got 'er done.

He had not brought any HcG (to make her ovulate), but I had some in the fridge that the label had fallen off of--we had no idea how old it was, as it appeared to be a full bottle and I had just bought a new one and used it up already--no telling when that one was made. It is one of those you mix from dehydrated stuff, and it only lasts so long. I used that, and oxytocin every six hours, but by the next day I was a nervous wreck that my HcG was no good, so I got a fresh bottle from him (which is five doses but that is how you have to buy it--effectively pitching the other four doses since it is the end of the season). Shot her right up and them put it out of my mind.

Also when he checked the semen back at the office, it was a little wierd. The first drop he checked was at only 30% motility--I realize it only takes one, but I like it up around 70% plus. I had told him how good the semen was the first time, so he checked another drop on a different slide and it was up around 70% where it should have been. It threw us both that there would be such variety in it, and he was sure the slide he used was in good shape and clean, but not much we could do at that point if it was not great stuff--it was what we had


I knew we would be gone when she needed ultrasounding--on July 5 would have been sixteen days I think. I just told myself there was no way she could be in foal, we would not find out until after the season closed at Center Ranch because we would not get back from Canada til after that---just put it out of my mind.

This is how I came to be so shocked when he checked her today--I told him not to even get the ultrasound out, just palpate her as I was sure she was open. He got almost done and then told me to fetch the ultrasound, he was pretty dang sure she was bred. Shocked I tell you, shocked! Madison was there helping and we were bobbling all around the stall, changing places so we could all eyeball the ultrasound screen---after all that HcG, we were scanning for twins or more, and there does appear to be a tiny cyst next to the conceptus, or perhaps a twin falling apart, but we all voted and decided to believe it is ok. Tango was helping as well, which made Squeak wiggle so it took a while to determine that the heart was actually beating as opposed to Squeak just shifting, but there it was. I swear I thought it was a mirage and at 105 degrees, it damn sure could have been.

But it is NOT, we all saw it, it is there, no doubt about it.

Squeak is going to be a mama!

YAY!