Ive just been informed by a bitches owner that when she asked the vet if they could do an ovulation test on their girl that they qouted her £180 +vat. Having never done one myself are they really so dear. I wasn't expecting that.

Wow - that's a bit excessive.  They are approx £40 -  £50 each.  If you go for swabs with Val it's £37 until you get a positive result.  Her details are on another thread about progesterone testing.

We need to distinguish here.  Ovulation blood testing measures the hormone levels, and should be pretty accurate and the only method used in successful AI where accuracy is vital.

The swabbing and testing of vaginal cells (vaginal cytology) looks at the changed in the cells during the cycle that signal the change from proestrus sot oestrus.  These are accurate only in as much as they will point to the rime roughly when a bitch is ovulating.  Good enough for a natural service assuming you are going to mate a bitch over several days.

My vet in 2005 charged me £37 for the less accurate in house blood test kit per test, we needed three.  These test kits come in packs of 10 with a shortish shelf life, so I have heard some vets charge the customer for the whole 10, as they don't get asked to use them very often.

If you look here, it sort of explains why Blood testing is more accurate than vaginal cytology

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu125/Tanyap1989/Canine1.jpg

All the bitch owner will need to pay for the vet is the price for taking blood&consultation fee.
She can then post the sample off to idexx and the test costs about £35, she pays to idexx directly and they call her with the results.
Of course usually more than one test is needed as it is good to start testing rather little early than too late :)!
My vets only changes consultation fee for the first test and something like £9.00 for taking the blood for the next...
Some vets you will have to pay consultation fee each time which will make the cost go up if lets say 3 tests are needed.

I would also send the sample off myself as only time I left it for the vet to post, it did not get there the next day.
She can contact idexx and get everything for the test(form, test tube,prepaid envelope) and take all to the vets...

I had blood tests done on my girl in 2005 and 2006 and I think, including the consult fees it wasn't more than £50 and was probably less.  They were sent out to a lab, so not done in house.  £180 is taking the mick IMO.

When I was researching AI earlier this year, I'm sure one of the companies I spoke to said they would want her blood sent to Idexx and that the fee was around £40.  I could be mistaken, I can't find the email off the top, but I know it certainly wasn't anywhere near the price you're being quoted.

your vet is AVIN A LAUGH change him no way is it that exspensive

http://www.canine-reproduction.com/

They do exactly the same test as idexx and have a testing machine on site and they will test anyday of the week for you and you get the results in a couple of hours,they charge £25 per test

Thanks everyone. When she said that I almost fell over!!!! It isn't as if they live miles away in a much dearer area either as her vet is only 3 miles from mine. I have just rang her and directed her to this site and this thread so she can write everything down. Her girl isn't due in season for 4 months but she missed last year and took her too late to the stud so she wants to be prepared next time around.

My vet was fab. He took the blood sample and did a cytology test at the same time, but he didn't use the blood sample unless the cytology was giving a good result.  Including the consultation as well it was less than £50.  I love my vets

I was told when I went to ask about tests that it would cost about the £180 + mark, as it is not something they have any call for and therefore I would have to buy the whole box! The sensible vet I spoke to said that it would be easier just to go by what my neutered boy is showing us, which we did. Maybe that's why they've been quoted that much?

I had blood tests done with my girl and it was £45 each time.

any blood tests we have done i only pay £8 for the blood taken and £25 consultaion fee.

Flip me for a basic kidney fucntion test (our club are asking us to monitor kidneys) it's nearly £60

wow! how often do you need that done?

Well at the moment the club just ask that it is done and as a diagnostic test for Familial Renal dysplasia it is pretty inconclusive (it would only show abnormal results if the dog was unwell and down to 20% of kidney function) I only do it once for a baseline.

The few cases in our breed (mostly abroad) the dogs affected show clinical signs by two years (dead by 5) and are generally thrifty from birth as the kidneys are not developed properly, so it is fairly self limiting as dogs aren't bred from until over that age.

The only sure test is a biopsy, and of course no-one is going to routinely biopsy the kidneys of their healthy dogs.