Does anyone  have any good advice on using this mate tel.I try every morning on my girl but she clamps
up,i manage to rub the lens on her tongue but when i look through it shows nothing, well nothing that
resembles what the picture says.Im on day 9 and have booked mating for day 11

Hi yes I use the matel think its brilliant when used correctly!

get a biscuit or food she loves sit with it and let her drool pull back her lips and get a blob of saliva (try not to get big bubbles) put it on the side for half an hour then check when its dry, if it isnt showing anything but bubbles then she isnt ready.
it should show groups of ferns around the edge and when she is really ready there are more ferns and icicles than bubbles .
hold out !
I tested it on my girl who I wasnt planning to mate as she is too young yet but just to have an idea when she would be . Her Mother is ready around the 12 day but her sibbling wasnt ready until the 16th day so if I had been planning a mating and went for the usual 12 day then she would have missed.
HTH

Roni

My problem is getting a good dollop of saliva, my girl is fairly drooly for a Cav but it really is hard to get the lens really flooded. If I can manage that then I have seen the ferning etc when I've tried it - but otherwise yes, you can't make much sense out of it. :-(

I was told by Matel that you are best to dip it under her tongue on the floor of her mouth where all the saliva gathers and we use to take her out for a run on the bike so she salivating and then do it when she got back before she had a drink of water. I never saw anything at all like ferns etc., and it got to near the 12th day still couldnt see anything and then worried that I wasnt doing it right & I would miss her prime time. So I took her anyway on the 13th day to the stud and again to stud on the 14th day regardless as I thought well she will either stand or she wont. She had a tie mating on the 13th day and a slip mating on the 14th day and I still couldnt see the ferns using the Matel. Well anyway good job I did take her when I did as she is now pregnant and is due to whelp in a couple of weeks time. I had to at the time go anyway around the 12th day to the stud dog or fear missing. If it's not to far to travel or if it is and you dont mind the distance I had to travel 1.5 hours I would go anyway & let the Bitch and the Stud tell you.

Thanks for replies.
She is a real nightmare  i have to prize her mouth open then try and hold her paws.
Dont really like using this method its harder than i thought. Its day 9 ive booked matings for day 11 and day 13 fingers crossed
them days will be o.k

It was useless for me when used on Chihuahuas.  Just not enough to make a difference.  They never, ever drool, whatever I use to tempt.  Just can't get enough spit!  I could show my Beardie girls dry bread and get enough drool for a swimming pool, but it was a waste of money for me personally.

funny you should say that as I have beardies and found it very easy once I found how to get a go mouthful of saliva.

I know it works because the litter I had before using the Matetel was guessed on the 12th day , the second litter I used the matetel and she showed ready with ferns and iccicles exactly the same time as her previous litter ie: 12th day.

good luck

Despite what the instructions say I can only get a good sample by using my finger to get saliva from under the bitches tongue. Using the supplied spatula was useless and as for getting spit on the lens directly is a waste of time.
I have noticed that the consistency of the saliva changes when ovulation is starting and ferning appears, it becomes a 'mucus' rather than 'watery'.
Ferning times do vary though, Lizzie (weim) was on day 9, Millie (lab) was on day 7, Pippa (weim) was day 12. Each time we have had successful matings each with 9 puppies.

How long in the car have you got to travel for from you. Just interested. I would go with your 11 day mating and 13 day mating. Have you also looked for other signs like. 1) has the blood turned a bit watery gone straw like in color or anything. 2) when you run your hand down her back towards her tail does she put her tail over to one side? 3) Is her private lady part enlarged and pointing the same way and like her Anus? These are also tel tel signs. And apparantly the only other sure way, is to insert a very clean finger and see if she takes you in, but I couldnt bring my self to go that far with her, I'm sorry but I draw the line somewhere but I can understand why proffesional breeders do that to save them self time and wasted trips.

UGH UGH UGH, i am glad i have a dog not a bitch :-)

i find it works brilliantly with the non drooling deerhounds and quite useless with the drooly bloodhounds!

i have matetel and thinks it depends on the dog, if you can get a good watery sample the results are reliable, my ddb are too drooly as it is all slimy! my rott last year was tested and didnt get good ferning until day 16 had a tie on day 17, result being 12 puppies so it was spot on, have just used again on another girl and think she has taken too so pretty good. you can also retest at 21 day after mating and if you get ferning again she is pregnant, done this twice and twice it was right too. it really must be a watery sample to work properly but i think its pretty good, of course generally speaking if both dog and bitch are very keen then the timing is usually right!

yes forgot about that.... re -testing I too had ferning at 21 days .

i managed to get it to work on my girl.....but then my other half had a go, and she swallowed the lens!!!!

seriously....i made him check poo for days afterwards in the hope of finding it!

Yes, I got ferning on day 21 after mating and she was pregnant. It's just that problem of getting the saliva. Did someone say you could just dip your finger in her mouth and rub it on the lens? That might be worth trying next time! My girl is so good natured she will stand whether she is ready or not - she shows colour right through the season, and doesn't flirt until she's just about finished it, so it's very confusing. I had her tested at the vet last time and I think they said she had ovulated around day 10, so flirting on day 20 is not much help!! :-D

are you looking through the right end of the lens you have to take one end off and put the saliva on it then let it dry before putting it back into the microscope.
hope that makes sense

The Ovatel for humans seems to be the same thing,so have bought one of each for fun,girls are due in season in next few weeks,
Wendy