NUMBER 1 - Don’t test if you are on a tight budget. It will be more cost effective to run a full set of blood tests, then receive multiple matings to cover the biggest possible window of fertility. Multiple matings may require multiple trips to the stud costing time and fuel. It may also result in the stud being over used and by not identifying the optimal time to mate could result in a smaller litter, if any at all. It’s more efficient to spend money up front on identifying ovulation and need only one mating. NUMBER 2 - Don’t test if you want to guess when she's ready, by doing just one test. Blood testing doesn’t predict when she’s going to ovulate, it only identifies whether she has ovulated or not. Be prepared to run on average three tests to pinpoint the optimal time to breed. You should I start from day 6 - 9 of season, day 1 being first day of blood, unless the season is silent/dry or previous history suggests otherwise. NUMBER 3 - Don’t test if you’re not prepared to take the advice that’s given, regarding the results of the test. There’s little purpose running the test and ignoring the results. If you need to retest because the numbers are too low, then retest as advised! Don't get disappointed if the result is too high and you’ve gone past day 9 of season, take it as a lesson to start testing earlier. When sharing your results, make sure that all parties are all talking the same language! There are two scales of results:
NUMBER 4 - Don’t test if you haven’t prepared and planned. Vets aren’t particularly helpful when it comes to breeding. You need to have the discussions regarding asking for a blood draw only appointment in advance. This can be conducted by a vet nurse negating the need to see the vet and incur consultation fee, as your dog is not ill and you do not need their assessment. This is pertinent if you plan to use your own independent Laboratory, particularly for same day results. You’ll need to pre-order your kits from (if they provide them) from the Lab to take with you and it’s always good to keep the stud own in the loop! If you want to do things right… You should learn what the results mean and how a female cycle progresses. Independent testing of the stud will ensure no conflict of interest regarding the results. Only 1.2ml is needed of whole blood to the fill line of a microtube suitable for testing, the quality of blood is better before food. The tube should be white or clear topped, its fine that the blood clots and the tube should have no gel separator as it can lower the results. If you want to know the full load down on efficient blood testing then register for the FREE 1 pager on “Everything you need to know about Progesterone Testing”.
When you own more than two breeding bitches it can be difficult to detect when they came into season and who came in first, or in what order and ultimately when to mate!
My current situation of owning 7 dogs - 2 breeding retired, left me with 5. 1 of which was a male, so I was left with 4 bitches in season all mixed (housed) together. Did I have a clue who was in first, just about? Did I know who was second? Nope, plus I was hoping to breed 2 of them! Check out my video below walking through the cycle of a season, the benefits of progesterone testing, the process, what the results mean and actions I took and why.
I will continue to blog the progress of these two females so you can follow the journey I'm on. Don't forget to down a copy of the '8 Vital considerations when your dog is expecting puppies' it answers the most frequent questions I'm ask when confirmation pregnancy via ultrasound.
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AuthorI'm Sara otherwise known as 'Canine Family Planner' who founded HomeScan Breeder Services a premium pet-care business in 2014. I am an experienced and educated breeder, who specialises in domestic animal reproduction. I bred my first litter 20 years ago whilst in my teens and tend to breed annually. Breeding is pretty much in my DNA – a way of my life if you will! I've started this blog to share some of my knowledge and if possible help out a few like minded animal owners! Archives
May 2019
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