ovulation pads - Page 2

I'm having multiple issues with progesterone too so I'm going to be relying on the strips more than progesterone down the road.  Nice to see so many people having success with this product.  Sure saves a ton of money.

Judy

My experience with the pads was not a positive one and I missed 3 bitches using them. They worked in one case text book, I followed color for 2 days and then waited 2 days and bred, no pregnancy. The other 2 cases I got color one day, none for a few days and then color again, very confusing to use and I got no pregnancys with them. I am wondering if there are any environmental issues that can occur to have them be unreliable or if they are not stored correctly. I know the pads were not touched and they were kept in the zip lock baggie they came in and placed in a cabinet but I wonder what can affect them. I am back to expensive progesterone testing, just did a breeding based on PG test with the first bitch who missed, will know in a few weeks. I am glad some are able to have success with them but I did not. Great Thread BTW!

I know that there can be environmental factors that affect the strips.  For instance, there is a 6 month window of use so if they were shipped to you closer to the expiration date then maybe they weren't as effective as they should have been.  I also would not wait 2 days to breed after the strip turns.  The reason is that if you only use them once a day you don't know if the female ovulated the night before, early in the day or later and since the eggs are ripe for maybe 48 hours you could have missed if you wait 2 full days.  I'm no expert and just guessing of course but I'd rather be safe than sorry and breed the day after the color changes.  Maybe Mary can chime in on when she bred her females using these strips.

gsdland, sorry you didn't have any luck with the strips.  Are you going to try again?

Judy

Yes, the strips work!

Also, never use them after they're 6 months old. They will not read properly. They must be used within 6 months for correct readings. To be on the safe side, I always order new ones anytime a bitch comes in that I plan to breed. I wait for day one of bleeding, then 2nd day the strips. I start checking around day 5/6.

They work very well and yes, much less expensive than progesterone testing with a vet. JMHO

Success here too.  Last season I got progesterone for my female on day 9 and the vet phoned that afternoon to say it was up to 16 and better get her to the stud tonight.  She did not take.  We were too late.  She is unusual in that she bleeds all the way through her heat, but we have discovered, ovulates very early.  A result of 16 on day 9 would indicate approximately that she had ovulated 3 days earlier.

Next season, I used the strips every day morning and night for three days and on day 6 got a dark purple colour.  Morning of day 7 the colour had returned to only slightly darker than the pink.  We bred on days 7 & 8 and she will deliver in 20 days. 

Right now she looks like a pot-belly pig.  The strips worked!  I call her my little porkbelly!

. http://www.revivalanimal.com/store/p/2543-Estrus-Test-Strips.aspx   There is a mistake in the usage description on the Revival Animal website noted above: "Small end section will turn from purple to burgundy during ovulation, in response to pH and carbohydrate changes."   The pads actually will turn from pink to dark burgundy or purple when they are positive.     

Hi Judy,

Yes, I am going to order the Wysong strips this time. I purchased strips from the British site last time. They were used within 2 months by me, I dont know if they might have been at the end of their shelf life when sent. I also was only using them once a day, usually every night so I will take the advise to use 2x's a day.  So to eveyone..breeding is to take place the day after you see color, is that correct?  Also, one of my girls is a heavy bleeder and I have a hard time not getting a fair amount of blood on the strip, even with wiping first, how do you all deal with this? And, how long do you keep the strip inside her vulva and how long before you get color after removal for you to feel comfortable that its positive or negative?  Sorry for all the questions but with everyone else getting such positive results its got to be me!!   My DH said to me last night, "It's not rocket science!" Well dear, yes I think it is!! LOL!

gsdland, I sent you a pm.

Judy

 

So to eveyone..breeding is to take place the day after you see color, is that correct?  Also, one of my girls is a heavy bleeder and I have a hard time not getting a fair amount of blood on the strip, even with wiping first, how do you all deal with this? And, how long do you keep the strip inside her vulva and how long before you get color after removal for you to feel comfortable that its positive or negative?  Sorry for all the questions but with everyone else getting such positive results its got to be me!! ""

I have the same questions.  Thanks for your reply. karen

 

I am no expert on this but unless you know exactly when your female ovulated I'd opt for breeding the day after the strip turns color.  That way you won't miss.  If you only use the strips once a day there's always a possibility that the female ovulated as much as a whole day before the strip turned color and if you wait another two days to breed you run the chance of missing the short window when the eggs are receptive to the sperm.  There are differing opinions on how long the eggs are ripe and I've heard 2 days or less up to 4 days.  The best bet is to use the strips several times a day so that you can more accurately  pinpoint the time of ovulation which helps in making a decision as to when to breed. 

Hope this helps.