Just wondered if anyone had heard of this or tried it. There was an article in DW this week on whelping etc and this was advertised but  it does not say how it works. Apparently it is reusable and non invasive. I know some people have their bitches tested at vets but think that is swabs or blood tests so was wondering about this. Any thoughts?

i tried ovatel one and it didnt work on the dog (may not have had enough spit:rolleyes:) but it did work on me!!, worked same ie salt levels in saliva. It was cheaper (£17 inc deliver, 5 pregy tests) on ebay

I looked here http://www.pregnancytesting.freeserve.co.uk/saliva%20ovulation%20tests.htm and my mind was boggled.  These appear to be human tests, so do they really work on dogs, and why ahve we not seen any veterinary articles on this type of test rather than just commercial suppliers adverts??

Less than half the price f the oen being advertised in the dog press? http://www.valuemed.co.uk/acatalog/OVATEL_Saliva_Ovulation_Microscope.html

the one i had said she was no where near yet the draminski said she was ready, so we mated her and now it just waiting

Think I might e mail them for more info. I would think Human hormones are different to dogs so you could not accurately use a human one for a dog. Could be wrong though!

You will have to let us know what they say

Just spoke to the guy about the matetel.He was most informative. Supposedly 98% accurate but beauty is you can use it as often as you like to try and assess right day. It is saliva based. I have ordered one anyway so will see how it goes.

I am sure or thought they didn't work with dogs. Due to a different hormone detection needed. What did he say about dogs.

The Matetel is designed especially for use with dogs. He says they have tried the draminsky and this is just as accurate but much less invasive.

I know several people who ahve not been happy with the Draminsky detector, and found it a waste of time.

I woudl want to speak to a reproductive specialist who conducts AI work, as they would be the oens interested in timing ovulatuion most accurately, and at the moment they seem to be only happy with blood testing.

Well this detects Oestrogen which is present in both humans and dogs, I think your thinking on pregnancy detection which is based on another hormone which in bitches would give a lot of false positives as a bitch has similar hormone changes whether pregnant or not.

As there hasn't been any great announcements in the veterinary canine side about discovering the exact levels of oestrogen for bitches compared to humans I suspect this test is a repackaged version of a human one, and I would want to see some 'real' evidence (scientific studies) to prove it is effective.  Lets face it mating a bitch about the right time when both fancy it gives over similar high success rates in getting a bitch in whelp.

Barbara - I'm absolutely shocked

Do you mean to say, instead of going all hi-tech, we should just take the bitch to the dog who will sniff her - and if she's ready he will hump her??? (Sorry - he will mount & mate her :D)

That is sooooo yesterday ! :D

Margot

LOL! Perish the thought that we leave it to the experts (the dogs)! :D :D

ROFLMAO :D

They have been pretty good at it too.  Lord knows what would happen if our human conception rate was anything like as good

i bought the matel i have just had blue and teyha was had teyha blood test with idxx she was going to be realy on day 11 to 13,use matel couldnt see the different on those days.
there was a change in blue test on the days
BUT GUESS WHAT WHO TOLD ME THE GIRLS WERE REALLY GOOD OLD CHASE BLESS HIM,

gollie in season know i know the day she was mated last time and blood test result so i will try the matel again on her and see the wht result we get,

You may be right but for 40 quid (including postage) I thought Iwould give it a try. On the plus side if you send tests off via vets you have to wait for resullts if your own vet does not have a facility or if its a weekend/bank holiday its awkward. at least with this you can do it to suit. I have has swabs done before (not at vets but someone else who does them and scans etc) and that was not always accurate. Nothing much to lose really. Usually I use my own common sense but last time the bitch had a strange season and despite 2 matings and 2 swabs still did not take, I will give this a go anyway and keep an open mind.

Here is their website for people to read more:

http://www.matetel.co.uk/

From website:

"Just prior to ovulation electrolytes (or salts) increase dramatically in bodily fluids for example cervical mucus and saliva along with the hormone estrogens, consequently being able to identify this increase in electrolytes is an alternative and simple method for identifying the onset of ovulation.

Historically it has been clinically and scientifically observed that,

During the fertile period a sample of normal saliva or cervical mucus when dried and examined under a microscope contains structures resembling ferns, these fern structures are actually the dried crystallisation of the electrolytes or salts that are evident during this dramatic increase in electrolytes present during ovulation.

This phenomenon has been known for years to researchers, MateTel is a precision miniature microscope designed specifically to aid in the indication of the fertile period, ferning starts approximately 3 days before and ceases 2-3 days after ovulation.  "

I would want to see some 'real' evidence (scientific studies) to prove it is effective.

Agree Brainless..

i got a very good tester at home chase  my male frc he tell me when they are readly.he not worried about the girls untill the time right.

Has anyone yet tried the 'human' ovulation detecter with success yet?  I have a bitch who I am desperate to have a litter from.  She was mated last season on day 13 - I was only offered the one mating and needless to say this wasn't successful.  So next time I want to make sure I get everything possible done to get her mated on the optimum day.  I will also be using a different stud dog.

We've ordered the Mate Tel too, just awaiting its arrival, i have to admit for £40 i'll try anything lol. We have real problems with our girls getting them in pup. So basically i can't see that we have anything to loose! We also tried the draminski but just couldn't get along with it, kept getting false readings and ended up using a vets pre-mate test in the end anyway.

Any one had a go at the Mate-Tel yet? Puppies? No Puppies????

Well....Mine came a few days ago and I am now a bit sceptical. Its just a very mini microscope. I have 2 bitches in season (13 and 12 days). I have not yet seen any 'sign' as described on the literarture . Its supposed to be blobs for not fertile, then transitional and then feathers. I have seen only tiny blobs but these look more like contaminants on lens. So...I am off for a proper test this pm to see how that compares to what the matetel is saying. If that test says non fertile then so far the matetel is right but on day 13 I am unsure....
Will let you know later.

Well I wont write it off yet!!! The swab I had done shows that there is no sign of the bitch ovulating either. Apparently her cells are 'doing nothing' and she might not ovulate at all. the lady said test her again if she is still in season in 5 days time but she did not feel we would be
mating her this time.
Other bitch is not being mated so did not have her tested. I will keep looking at the Matetel and let you know how it looks.

just thought i would let you all know and to have a giggle, last year i had my girl mated and she missed so was desperate to get timing right this time, so after reading this thread about mate tel i was desperate to have ago but my girl was on day 8 so to late to order one, i suddenly clicked last christmas my daughter had a cheap science microscope for christmas  so off i went routed through the wardrobes and 'hey presto' there it was so i dusted it off got a slide wiped it on her tongue let it dry and it was blobbs, the next day a few blobbs with little ferning and the next day a little more ferns and day 11 it was like looking at your finger print no blobbs, anyway im no expert so i took her for a swab and without telling the lady what i had done i would be to embaressed to tell her she said yes shes ready take her to be mated so we did and she had a good mating no messing about with a good tie so she was definately ready and again 48 hours later so with that in mind the signs from the microscope were there, just keeping my fingers crossed now but thought i would share that with you all.

To be honest I am not surprised because really that is all the matetel is. Until you buy it and see it you dont know what you are getting. My advice would be just get a cheap secondhand microscope instead. :)

Star, if people buy a cheap 2nd hand microscope, what are they looking for?  What is all this talk of blobs and ferns and so on?  Can you paraphrase the info that comes with the Matetel for people who might want to try the microscope option?

If anyone wants to PM me with heir e mail I will try and forward the info. (Hope I dont get in trouble )

My MateTel arrived today..... OMG How small!!!!!!!!!!!! Haven't tried it out but am dying to do so. Apparently the blobs are when "nothing" is happening, then you get furn like leaves 2 to 3 days prior to ovulation, then a frosted window affect when ovulating........ Can it really be this simple? My vet seems thrilled at the prospect and is as eager for us to try it and we are!

I spoke to my Vet today but she was VERY sceptical.....

Great thread, i've just ordered mine from valuemed, the ovatel which is 31.97 including: microscope, 20 ovulation testers, 4 early pregnancy testers and postage, i'm waiting with bated breath, i am having a bitch to stud tomorrow/friday so i'm hoping it will come in time so i can check it, the bitch is being blood tested this morning with results in tomorrow, so it will be a good test! i'll let u know the outcome!!

Well....I have to say that with the Matetel I saw absolutely nothing to make me think either of my bitches were ovulating. I looked at the same slide with a 'proper' microscope  and saw what the Matetel literature said (ferning) I have had 2 matings with one of the bitches so we will now see what happens and which was correct.
Edited to say i have just looked at the Ovatel and it looks identical to the Matetel. Wished I had seen it before it is about 3 times cheaper!!

:) @ jordan, I too have heard about this and im doing just that at the moment haha good luck, hope it worked for you!

I tried ovatel before and it didn't work with my dogs. I bought a MateTel and it's amazing and I've got seven beautiful puppies to prove it. It's really easy to use, the people were really helpful and knowledgable and that alone was worth the £39.99, they told me it was a miniature microscope at the time I bought it. My bitch has missed 3 times now using blood tests and I don't like taking her to the vets when she is in season anyway but now I don't have to. My Matetel is the best £40 I have ever spent.

What went wrong with the Ovatel, fatso??  Could you just not see any ferning at all?

Well i can honestly say it worked for us,to be perfectly honest i was really sceptical at first especially as it didnt seem to be doing anything for a long time,all i could see was lots of black dots and a few lines.On day 14 we took her to the stud dog and she refused point blank to allow him to mate her,then it got to day 18 and i was begining to panic as i usually have my bitches swabbed to check for ovulation,this costs me £25 a time so i thought i'd see if the mate tel worked on its own first but like i say,it got to day 18 so i thought i'd better get her swabbed as well.The swab showed lots of cells with some that had started to cornify but they were still very small so the vet couldnt tell if she was coming into her peak or just going off as we had no other swab to compare with,we did another swab the next day and tried the mate tel and to my amazement there it was,clear as day,the ferning pattern was so obvious you couldnt miss it,the vaginal swab also showed lots more cells,cornified and larger so this confirmed that she was infact still coming into her peak albeit very late into her season.The next day,early in the morning we done the mate tel again and the whole thing was covered in what i can only describe as ice crystals,again it was very clear and obvious,this again tallied with another vaginal swab which showed lots of large cornified cells and so we took her to the stud dog and got a good tie within minutes.We continued to swab her and use the mate tel for a few days after and the two coincided with each other brilliantly,we were going to take her back for a second mating but unfortunately due to us recieving some very sad news,we couldnt get there for a few days and by this time she had come out of her peak.The stud dog owners in the meantime had very kindly offered to bring him to us but we felt that the one mating should be sufficient as it was clear from the mate tel and the swab that the time was right.However,we've yet to get her confirmed in whelp as this was only just over a week ago,but if she misses then it certainly wont be down to wrong timing as im 100% satisfied,what with the mate tel and the swabs,that she was at her peak.As we all know,bitches miss for all sorts of reasons and this will be this bitches first time so we shall see,i'll let you all know when i get her scanned in a few weeks if she is or not.I found leaving the mate tel a little longer than suggested helped get a better result too,rather than the 5-10 minute recommended,its best to leave it at least half an hour to get a better and clearer result.I became quite obssessd with it and so played about with it constantly and found that the more you use it the better you become at reading it,you have to focus your eye properly and look all around it rather than straight ahead,also i found that if you hold it up to a proper light such as a light bulb rather than look out the window,you get a clearer picture.All in all,for just under £40 i think its a brilliant little device,its compact size makes it all the better as it doesnt take up loads of space and it can be used over and over again.The people who supply the mate tel are most helpful and i think would welcome any feedback,whether it be positive or negative as it is relatively new and they are constantly striving to make it easier for people to use.Its interesting to read also from previous posts on this,that some vets are finding it exciting whilst other vets are sceptical,what you have to remember is that if something so convenient like this takes off (which i personally think it will)vets will lose a certain amount of buisness from it.

To be honest I am totally at a loss to understand how all this works. Both my bitches are 3 we3ks now and have shown nothing on Matetel. One bitch was quite happy to be mated at 16/18 days but we will wait and see on that one. having read the last post i have just used Matetel again and still nothing.HOWEVER I used the ordinary microscope and it still shows ferning. For the hell of it I did the saliva test on a spayed bitch AND a male dog and still got ferning. Any theories???

According to the "human" instructions that are with the Ovatel, you should do the test early morning before food has been eaten. 

I've got my matetel,my girl is only on day7 and showing nothing yet, mind you she sees me with it and swallows so hard I can hardly find any saliva!

I've got my matetel,my girl is only on day7 and showing nothing yet, mind you she sees me with it and swallows so hard I can hardly find any saliva!

Hi All,

Some help/suggestions?

Two days ago I took 3 saliva samples first thing in the morning before she had a drink, two of the samples just showed dot patterns & lines. The third sample showed the strong fern-like patterns starting to form, suggesting the bitch was in the transitional period (at day 4). Yesterday I repeated the exercise taking another three samples first thing but no ferning was evident. This morning I took another three samples & one of the three samples showed very strong ferning, suggesting she may be ovulating. The other two samples did not show this. Having had such a positive indication on one of the three samples, should this be taken as a definite sign she is ovulating?

Hi

When we did the saliva samples, they were consistant.  We had nothing but bubbles, until around day 13, they then started to break up, then day 15 proper ferns, today day 20 it was back to proper big bubbles.  we got a pre-mate done on day 16, the results came back dark pink, meaning she had ovulated recently ( told to mate in the next 24-48 hours).  If it's starting to fern now that suggests ovulation around day 7, I would get a pre mate done.  We only started doing it as a bit of fun, we didn't expect it to work and we wouldn't have relied on just the saliva results, but her colour changed to straw day 15 and with the pre-mate test and the ferns! Maybe it does work!  We also found we got the best results in really good light

hi chezza77
i did the saliva testing and i took 1 in the morning before eating or drinking and 1 at night i found it helped to leave the slides to really dry out about half an hour and to look at them in really good light, i first found the bubbles and then moved on to the lines and then the positive ferning, i also took her for ovulation test when ferning started and the lady told me she was ready and to have her mated within 24 hours, all bitches are differant so if ferning is starting early in season i would deffinately get a pre mate test done as well, ferning started for me over 3 days until it looked like looking at a finger print no other bubles were seen i would not have relied on the saliva testing totally that is why i had her tested as well but it worked for me she has just been scanned in pup hope all goes well for you good luck keep us posted on what is happening and if it is working for you.

Only just caught up on this. 

Could someone tell me - do you have to use stain or something with Matell?   I've been using vaginal cytology for sometime, and have my own microscope - it would be very interesting to see if the two results tallied, and would really be easy enough for me to do.

I must say we've had some good results just with vaginal cytology, but this is obviously less invasive.

Jo

hi, i didn't use stain on my tests i just gently dabbed the slide on my girls tongue and then let it completely dry off before looked at what had happened it needs to dry to form whatever it is going to form , i used my daughters cheap microscope and could really see the changes.

So MateTel works then as others have already said and if not for MateTel none of you would have even known about the 'ferning phenonemon' Good luck to them I say and a huge thank you. I am very happy with my MateTel, the people are very helpful and knowledgable.
On the invoice it says 'If you are dissatisfied with this product please return it complete with its packaging and a full refund will be given' so Star rather than making wild and unfounded accusations and passing on MateTel's instructions which are probably covered by copyright, why don't you just return it?
I have a microscope but the batteries only last a few hours, the slides are sharp and all that faffing around, why bother when the MateTel is so convenient and reliable.
Myself and friends all have litters from using MateTel and I have a bitch pregnant now too
[url=]www.matetel.com[/url]

http://www.matetel.co.uk/