Progesterone Testing - Page 1

Good Evening all,

I have a question about progesterone testing, when do you get it done and how often are you supposed to get it done throughout the heat cycle. I have a female who is just in heat today. Today was the first sight of blood, when do I take her to get a progesterone test. I have read different readings on when the right day is some say 5ng and other say 8ng what are your thoughts? Also from the first progesterone test will the vet be able to tell me how many days from them she will be ready?

Thanks

Your vet will probably Not be able to tell you when to mate her from the first reading, depending on the result he will give you some idea of when next to test. Some bitches are ready at day 8 or 9 but I would say that the average is somewhere between day 12 - 19 and can even be later. I own a bitch that is ready to mate around day 25 - 28.

Sorry it is difficult to answer exactly when to start prog. testing I watch my bitch and when her bleeding turn to a corn colour that is when I test and I usually try for a mating when test result is 10 - 11ng.

There are so many possibilities but for a novice breeder I would start prog testing at day 9 others here may say something else. If you do a search on the database you will find more info on this subject.

How old is your bitch and how long does her heat usually last ?

GOOD LUCK

I never had any luck with prog. testing, by the time you get the results the levels can change again.

I just do it the old fashioned way, at the first sign of heat, or first drop of blood, count up to the 11th day
and try breeding her then skip a day & breed her again, I think the 13th day is the most fertile day.

And that's if you have been paying attention to when the first day is.....

The test only reads that the levels are low or high, sometimes when it says high, she should have been
bred that day, not 2 days later when the results are back, you can get your own test kit and test yourself,
that way you would know the levels that very instance

I use progesterone testing without fail.....my vet has her own machine and results are available within 45 mins to an hour... have never had a miss since I've started using it
The method and type of test is most important.. I usually do a baseline test early on after I see bleeding and then we go from there based on her levels and how they rise..
I suggest you do some research and discuss the proceduer with the repro vet you use... good luck 

Here is a link to some useful infomation that should help explain things for you. There are some very good charts.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2109&aid=3201

Good luck, Jeff

DKiah is correct you need to start early to establish a base line. Your vet is more then likely using the Camelot Farms
PreMate Ovulation Timing Test Kit. What is most import is the Lab and the Repro vet. The numbered results vary with the labs. If you have experienced Repro vet and a good lab success is very high

i have found that i go by her temperment. changes alot when she is ready, she becomes very nice not bichy and will start to stand for another dog.
mine will not flag my male but she will stand for him, she is very dominate and wont breed to him , i have to bring her off her territory to breed her.
but if you are not sure , go to your vet, my vet says to test at 9 days too.

good luck

If you know the canine heat cycle very well and sperm survivibility , then you will know that for natural mating even one p-test well timed is somewhat helplful.

It depends a lot on what type of insemination. For natural, even just two may be enough, unless the dam has unusual cycle. How available the stud is on short notice is an issue.

It also depends on how great a chance of failure to take or small litter that you can accept.

 I have used (through my vet!) the Ridgeway science progesterone kit, so long as your vet has a centrafuge to seperate the serum from the blood it can be used and the results are very accurate.
The trouble with the old method is that if your bitch is in the 25% of dogs who do not ovulate between day 10 and 17 after bleeding beggind then by conventual methods you miss the heat, which is very annoying! progesterone testing is a great way of catching the heat whatever! and because progesterone rise is gradual you only need to run the test every other day to be sure you catch the fertile period. I have read that you can just wait until the progesterone goes up to 8 nanograms per mol and mate then, being sure to catch the heat; even with artifficial insemination!

I hope thats helpful

Aaron