Good News:
Lizzie is doing well after sleeping most of Friday after we got home.  Her incision is looking good and she’s back up at full energy.  Dr. Sheller said that the sperm was great and the surgery went smoothly.    Hurray!

Bad News:
As I had feared, Dr. Sheller found a lot of cysts in Lizzie’s uterine horns.  Even worse, she believes that it is cystic endometrial hyperplasia, which could lead to pyometria.

What exactly does this mean for Lizzie having puppies?

Well,  everything done up to this point – surgical insemination with fresh semen two days after ovulation – gives the best chance for egg fertilization.   The problems arise when it comes time for attaching to the uterus.  Dr. Sheller did clean out the existing cysts, but there is still a question of whether the embryos can implant into the uterus and if the uterus can sustain the placenta.   So while our chances of having a litter are high because of the how Lizzie was bred, the chances of her whelping a litter have been reduce to a 1 in 4 chance.

1 in 4 is better than 1 in 100 or even 1 in 10 chance,  therefore, we are proceeding with cautious optimism.  I am going to continue my plan to blog about the pregnancy and let people know that Lizzie’s been bred.  I’m hoping that the more people who know, the more people will be sending positive puppy vibes our way and that can only help.  I know there’s a chance that we’re tempting the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing, but I think the benefits outweigh the risks.