Hi all,
my bitch is saying with my friend in the UK to be mated. We brought her over last week and she had her first Progesterone test on day 9 of her season and the test result result came back low. The vet recommended that she be tested again 5 days later! I questioned this as did my friend and the vet said that because her levels where soo low that they didn't recommend testing till 5 days later. She has gone this morning for another blood test and she is on day 14 of her season. This is also her first litter. They are experienced vets but I am panicking as I have sent my bitch from Ireland and thought that dogs where tested every 2 days?

Are you trying her with the dog also?   5 days is a wide gap as they can go up very quickly.

No...when shes ready my friend is bringing her to the stud dog. Thats why i opted for the progesterone test to make sure we get her spot on. I was surprised when the vet said test her again in 5 days! He said her levels where that low it wasn't worth doing a test sooner! I hope hes right!!

What was the test reading 5 days ago?

Her reading was 0.4 on Friday.

Dont worry she wont be ready for mating today then.With a reading of 0.4 she is at least 7 days away probably even more.

Thanks for that...much appreciated..I have my panic head on!! I'll keep you posted..
Thanks again

I actually picked you up wrong thinking you had done a premate test so with actual Progesterone testing they can get the days a bit more accurate. I would keep an eye on her though and watch her behaviour or a dogs behaviour with her :-D  Good luck

I think with a reading that low, you can breathe a little easier but once she gets to 4ish I would be thinking of more regular tests. 4 is still very low but they can shoot through the roof very quickly and catch you on the hop. I've had a bitch go from 4 to 20 odd in a couple of days!!
Talk about panic :)

my two swd can be mated from day 14 to 16 ,they never been early days like my fcr day 10 to 12

Hi guys, thats why I opted for the progesterone blood test as its more acccurate than the other tests available.
I'm waiting anxiously now till 4.30 when I get her results from her progesterone blood test she had this morning. I just hope its gone up from 0.4!! Her breeder said she doesn't expect her to be ready till day 15 or 17 as thats when her bitches are usually ready to mate. Oh the waiting is killing me lollol

:) I went through the same thing in September.  We had my bitch blood tested from day 10 (as day 8 was a BH) so she could have an AI mating.  She started off at 1.7 then next day it was only 2.2 and it crept up very slowly and we subsequently got to day 19 before the level rose enough for her to have the AI done.  I was convinced we were going to miss it as my own Vet took the blood and we had to post it off to the Vet doing the AI for them to test it. 

When they rang me and said - 'right its today', I had to literally drop everything and go!  It is her first litter too and its not uncommon for maiden bitches to ovulate right at the end of their season so don't worry too much. My bitch is now 42 days into her pregnancy :) 

Thanks Justine...I have no nails left!! And waiting for the results is a nightmare..this day has gone in soo slowly!! Roll on 4.30!!!! I just hope her levels have gone up from last Friday!!

:) :) I think I aged 10 years over the space of that two weeks aswell :)  I drove my friends nuts with my complaining and my dog was getting abit fed up of having the blood tests done too which was making me feel guilty :(

Now I'm worried incase the pups all turn out fit and healthy. We've had a couple of scans and there are definately some in there so I'll be glad when they are safely born then I can worry about them then lol ;)  I'll be as grey as a badger by the time they are 8 weeks old ;)

Oh I have a few bags under my eyes!!! I know I'm doing my friends head in ringing all the time but she loves me and knows I would do the same for her! Shes a mate in a million and has been brill!

Let us know what the result is when you get it

Well her levels have gone up to 4.3!! The vet said her optimum day to mate her is Saturday. I don't know whether to mate her on the sat and mon or friday/sat or sat/sun. The vet said we have a window between Friday and Sunday but Saturday is her best day for mating. What do you think??

Bitches ovulate anywhere between 4 and 10.It takes 2 days for the  eggs to ripen and they remain ripe for 2 to 3 days.If  I  testing her I would retest her again on Friday.At this stage it is impossible to track the progesterone curve. 

The lab told the vets she would be ready to mate on Saturady should I do another test on Friday even if the lab came back and recommended sat?

I would do Saturday and Monday but I would also be doing another test afterwards to prove she has actually ovulated and in fact 'gone over' her ideal time. If she has gone over thats OK, you've covered it but if she is still is hovering you can get another mating in but I am very much a belt and braces person as you can tell LOL

> Her breeder said she doesn't expect her to be ready till day 15 or 17 as thats when her bitches are usually ready to mate.

I had a maiden girl that wouldn't mate early.  By the time she was ready it was day 17 and she just about ravished the boy.

Only the one mating and she produced 7 pups and whelped easily, so, although the wait is killing you, you will get there!  (Although, naturally, your hair will have turned grey by then!)  :-)  :-)

I rang the vets again this morning as I still have my panic head and I asked them if I should do another blood test but they said there was no need  that she will be ready for mating on Saturday as the lab said. They said my optimum day for mating is Sat but I have a window between Friday and Sunday. I'm now thinking maybe I should mate her on Sat Morning and Sun evening?? Sorry for going on and on but I am soo stressed out!

My girl was progestorone tested last week. We started at day 8 and her levels were only 3.5. She was retested 4 days later and her levels were 13.5, last monday. Larry from IDEXX told me to mate her the wed and the friday, she hadnt ovulated yet but was likely to have had the day of the phone call, which was tuesday, he said by wed her levels should be around 27.
We took her on wed and she was gonna tear the dogs head off.....we didnt test her again as the breeder said they have more success when the bitches level is between 40-60. So we left her and took her back Friday morning, she still wasnt keen but we got a slip mating. Took her back saturday and we were all gobsmacked, day 17 and she was absolutely spot on, we got a fab mating and she was fantastic.
We had tried from day 13 and no joy at all....IDEXX told us to mate day day 13 and 15 and she wasnt actually ready till day 17......next time I will deffo get her tested again to make sure I know when she has actually ovulated and not just guessing when she has.

BTW this bitch missed last time we think due to not being ready.....we got premates done and were told day 13 again and she was so bad we couldnt get a proper mating, fingers crossed for this time, only time will tell.

Good luck

Yes I agree with you on that one. I always like to test at peak time every day so they can tell me she definately ovulated today so go in a couple of days or whatever. If they say shes on a lowish level now and she will ovulate on such and such a day so take her then, you are left not knowing if she actually ovulated or not. I think, particularly if you are dealing with a bitch that has missed in the past, you have to dot each and every i and cross every t.

The thing is, surely as sperm can live for a good few days inside the bitch, I can't see that 1 or 2 days out will actually make that much difference? I would have thought that constantly taking blood every day or so would possibly stress the bitch out?

The lab said her optimum day for mating is Sat so we are going to go with that.

Claire why didnt you just get a Matetel tester much cheaper and worked for everyone of my litters plus the boy will soon let you know if she is ready or not.
I know people who have paid for the prog test and nothing as the bitch had either passed or not ready friends with years of experience with stud dogs dont think it worth the hassle.

Hope everything goes to plan is this your first litter?

Hiya,  
If you are sending the test away to a lab they can give a better result than the vets blood test kits.    The run it through a machine and get  exact results.    I do this and they have always been spot on.  It also means you dont have to pay for tests every 2 days

Hi Ronnie,
its my bitches first litter so feeling pretty stressed out!!! We went with the progesterone tests as quite a few people I know have had brill results with the test. With us travelling from Ireland I wanted something that was a little more accurate rather than go down the premate route from our vet in Ireland as they said themselves it can be a bit hit or miss.
D4dog itwas the lab test we had done and she is being mated today so fingers crossed!