A.I. (artificial insemination ) Question - Page 1

I have a pregesterone level of 1.6 on Monday and a negative LH test on Tuesday
On Wed. I have a pregesterone level of 3.8 and a negative LH on Thursday
DId this bitches LH surge & peak on Tuesday?

Keep testing until she crosses 5, and breed her about 48 hours after she crosses 5. I would say she will cross a 5 on Saturday and be ready to breed Mondayish. You may have fallen into the grey zone where Sunday is the day you need to know your results. It's funny how there are 7 days in the week and 50% of the days you need results are Sunday. Do the test Sat. and sit tight for the results on Monday. Schedule a Monday afternoon AI. You can always reschedule but if you wait until you have results, you may not be able to schedule the AI. Be sure to use fresh semen.

The method of insemination should be one of two with a possible third. Surgical AI works universally. Transcervical if your vet has the camera. Norweigen pipette if your vet is skilled and experienced enough to feel the cervix.

Anything else and your chances of success are really low, low, low, low,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,low.Did I say low?

After paying vets for years to do my AI's,  I finally started doing my own 2 years ago after my repro vet specialist showed me how to do it.  I've had excellent success doing my own, last litter was of 9 pups, litter before that of 8, rarely miss a bitch.  It's not as hard as people/vets say it is. I use a 20cc sterile syringe without needle of course, and standard oxygen tubing from Wal-Mart for fish tanks/aquariums,  after I collect the dog, using a zip-lock bag, I draw the semen up in it, insert the tubing as far as it will comfortably go without pressure, and slowly eject the semen, then crate the bitch 2 hours right afterward.  In the 2 years of doing my own, I've only missed 1 bitch.  Saved a bundle, and less stress on the dogs going up to the vet.

There is a Good Article on A I at  Drs Foster&Smith website .

With all due respect why not just have a natural breeding instead? You will save tons of money that way. The male will know for sure (If he knows what it's doing) when the bitch is ready by the flagging and by her scent. I assume that the stud dog is out of states right? Many stud owners require that you take your bitch to a qualified and board certified repo speicalist $$$$$ vet, and wont just ship the semen to your front door so the idea of doing it yourself is out the door.

RE  "why not just have a natural breeding instead?"

Often when people select stud dogs, it is for specific bloodlines, titles or health preferences.  If a stud dog is several states away, natural breeding is not an option.  For example, I just used a stud dog out of Wisconsin because he met my working lines/ temperament/ conformation and health test results requirements.  I paid for coellection, shipping, progesterone testing and artificial insemination and was happy to do it, he is a really nice dog and he pairs well with my female's lines.

Another reason is that dogs are also suceptible to STD's, Brucellosis for one.  If you don't naturally breed your dogs, you don't end up with STD treatments- not everyone is willing to test their dogs for these. 

I personally won't breed a dog naturally unless the sire and dam have recent Brucellosis test results.


C

At times you gotta love this forum. Still learning "things" to this day. Thanks Dog1. My 2 yr old Czech female just went out of her heat. This was her third heat and she threw me a curve ball by having a "split heat", first time and my first time experiencing this. My 9 yr. old male was just going to town trying to mate. I studded him once and they had 16 pups. I know he can do the deed. I've been on here a little over six months and you would think that having the male there and everything is perfect. For unknown reasons it just isn't happening. This heat I said I needed to do a progesterone test so I went to a different vet, (mine was charging an arm and a leg). Results a couple days later 10.4   So I tried to mate them and Ana wanted NO part of Reiker. Here is the most loveable female GSD I have ever met was trying to tear my boy Reiker's head off! Ole Reiker just kept trying and trying, "puddles" all over the kennel floor but Ana wanted nothing to do with him.

Started researching progesterone levels and figured it was at the end of her heat and too late? Now, another six month wait and I believe this next heat I will do A.I. Not sure if I'll attempt it myeslf but will do more research and the new vet can do the job.

The irony here is "why not have a natural breeding?" for whatever reason(s) is just not that simple. My buddy who breeds Rotts, just talked to him the other day and he wanted to know if they bred. I told him don't think so. And he says to me "It's not as easy as just putting two dogs together, now is it?"

CMills, just for me. Was this process a one time thing or did you try multiple times? Were you skipping a day or A.Ing every day. A certain time? Morning or night? Was "air" contacting the sperm?

   

Are you getting same day result or next day result?

3.8 is just about the borderline level for ovulation. (from an economy stand point the worse ie money not well spent) You really cannot decide on this level so you have to test again.

5-9 is about the best to get. After that you just wait 48 hours.

If I get a 1.9 on one day, I will not test again until three days later. This is very true if the result is same day and the stud is not extremely in demand or will not be travelling often.

It will not be too late three days after a reading of 1.9.

I don't know why you do LH test. Progesterone test is all that  is needed, in general.