Clearly I am having great trouble doing nothing, here...

I asked the vet this morning how I will get the Idexx result and whether they will contact me directly or call the vet.  The vet said they (the vet) would get the result and then call me with it. 

Is that right?  I thought Idexx phoned owners directly to speed up getting the results out.  It takes me so long to get a vet on the phone, they are so busy, I can't imagine I'm going to get results ASAP with a middle party.  (That, or I am going to end up harassing the vets to find out if results are in yet!)

Will Idexx call me?

Can I call Idexx directly to ask for the result?

Thanks!

You should have asked the vet to put your contact details on the form at the time of the test. They will now contact your vet.
I know just how you feel I was in a similar position two weeks ago.

Oh bollox.  Why didn't the vet tell us that and that this would be quicker?! 

But even if they do contact the vet, can I phone Idexx up and request them, do you know??  I will give it a go tomorrow... anyone know?

Yes you can ring them direct. Ring in the morning and ask them to contact you with the results. Last week I had got it by 9am.

Have you got the number?

Yes call.Idexx yourself otherwise you wilhave to wait for your vet to call you and that could be their close of business after surgery

Ok, great, what number and who do I speak to?

The website is vast and confusing. 

Does anyone have the right number to call to get results?!  Or person to speak to?? 

Thanks!

Anyone?  I'd love to try to call in the morning :)

01937 544000.  Ask for Larry Roberts

That's brill, thanks!

I just have one more Idexx question - if you get told 'test again in 2 days' - does that mean 2 days from when they did the test?  (I'm assuming so??) 

In which case, someone like me, who only gets the result 2 days afterwards, would (in an ideal world) be going for another test the same day they get the previous result??

I have just had 7 sets of idexx tests done with my vet. I have them done at 9am and always have the results by 4pm the next day. Generally before idexx lab closes at 5.

You can send them off yourself but you need to order kits in advance and then have blood taken and post etc. only thrown will idexx speak to you directly as I rang and told them the vet sent the test off and was told the vet and idexx enter a legally binding contract of confidentiality and she couldn't discuss results with me

Idexx say to retest based on the result. A general rule of thumb is that your bitch doubles in progesterone every 48 hours. So if she was 10 on Monday she would be 20 on Wednesday. Thwy will continue to say retest until at least a score of over 13nmol. 20-40 they say is ideal for mating

7 tests You better get puppies now

Darn, so Idexx won't speak to me directly?  Will they speak to people directly if the vet puts something on the form to consent to that?

If Idexx get the result to my vet by 4pm, I'm just not sure my vet is going to pick it up and contact me before the close of day.  Of course I'll give them a call at the end of the day, but they might say the vet is out or in surgery or something etc etc.  We also live on an island and it can take longer for the samples to get to Idexx in the first place.  I had it done at 9.15am yesterday...

Meanwhile, I'm trying to pack some stuff here, just in case we have to go...

The 7 tests was with 2 dogs haha. My girl didn't ovulate until day 30!!

Have u had a test done before? Do u know what she was? I'm pretty sure they won't speak to you. You can speak to a pathologist regarding results but not one particular case. The receptionist gives me my results. I don't speak to the vet any of he time

When I have sent them off myself I have always had a phone call from Larry

My vet sent them off for me.  Well, I will call and try... they can only say no

Good to hear that you could get results from the receptionist, but for everything in the past with my vet, the receptionists are not allowed to give out results - because people inevitably have questions and the receptionists aren't qualified to answer them and I guess (with some test results) people can be quite distressed.  I'd imagine this policy is the same for progesterone results.... but again I will try!

Have you called for the results yet?

I just called and they said the result would definitely be available by the end of the day, but it isn't up yet - they had it and knew my dog's name and my name, so it has got there and it sounds like the timescale isn't actually that far off someone living in the UK. 

That's the good news.

The bad news is that, as Lisam predicted, they said they wouldn't discuss the result with me and I'd need to get it from the vet(!) because the vet didn't give consent for them to discuss it with me. (FFS!). 

So, towards the end of today, I shall start bugging my vet with phone calls to get them to get the result from Idexx. 

Does anyone know how vets get results, do they get emailed through??  What/where am I telling them to check, on the off-chance that a receptionist can do it?

PS  Lisamj2016 I don't want to bug my vet unless the results are there when I get them to check - you think getting them to check from 4pm onwards will see the results available?

PPS Or does the vet themselves need to call Idexx?!  How does the vet get the results?  arrrrgggggg

My husband had the astounding idea of phoning my vet now and asking them to fax or phone or contact Idexx to give consent for us to get results directly.... Have done this and receptionist is emailing vet to tell vet to contact Idexx to give consent.

OMFG, this is so complicated...

They email the results to your vet. I always got the kits myself and filled out the paperwork, blood taken at vets and when the southern office was open would drop in person, results same day. After it closed I did the same thing and the vets sent it off but I got the results to me as I filled in the paperwork. However having used to work in the vets as they also do testing for lots of other things the vets would be emailed throughout the day. Reception staff would then update the reports onto the clients page and then its up to the vets to know they are keeping tabs of which clients have results pending to check

Call.your vets now and ask for the vet to call.you once results are in or at least by close of business. They should then pass that message on and it will at least jog his memory

Her memory!  LOL

I've called vet and hopefully she will get the message that the results should be ready by 4pm and will either check them herself or contact Idexx and consent to us getting them. 

After all this, we are probably just going to get 'test again in 2 days' LOL!!!!

The vet can check on Idexx website for the results also

Called Idexx to reattempt getting results directly from them (4pm) - they say they still haven't received consent, and they have the results but they need to be finalised and quantified (?) and to give it 10mins and call my vets.

Called my vets who say their fax hasn't gone off and it's usually both faxed and emailed, but they will check the email ASAP... waiting....

ADVICE appreciated!

I have the results!!!  They are low, at 1.1 (I'm guessing that's ng with Idexx?).  These results were taken yesterday (Day 5).

Idexx said to test again and that ovulation is some way off still.  They said Friday (Day 8) would maybe be too early to test again, whilst Monday (Day 11) might be too late.  (Um, that's really helpful...??!)

Any thoughts on what we should do and how to deal with the weekend?  We are currently booked to leave on Monday evening, to get to the stud for Tuesday (Day 12).  We have then allowed enough time to have a 2nd mating either 2 days or 3 days after that.  (Day 14 or 15).  So if sperm lives 5 days, we are covered potentially up to Day 20, maybe more.

I'm thinking that plan sounds good still?  We could do another progesterone test here on Monday morning, before we leave for the stud - we'll get that 4pm the day we tried the first mating (Day 12).  Or skip that and just go for it?  Because we will be there, by then...

QUESTION:  If we test on Friday, when do you get results with Idexx?  It won't be till Monday, right?  (Or do they work Saturdays?)  But a test from Friday morning is not really going to tell us where our dog is, by the time we get it on Monday at 4pm???  To help us decide whether to get the boat that night...!?

They do work on Saturday. Next time though make sure it is you they contact. I had a bitch 2weeks ago did not ovulate until day 18.

I would go for early rather than late mating. Personally I would if you can take the time go over this weekend, see what the stud and your girl think and if no mating try again the next day and so on. 1.1 is low but they can rocket up quickly. As the sperm lives for a number of days then it gives you more leeway being early.

suejaw, the stud owner isn't up for that unfortunately :(  I would love to just keep trying indefinitely, but I guess from her perspective having multiple bitches coming to see your various stud dogs and trying frequently, is going to mean you spend pretty much all day attempting to achieve matings which most of the time don't happen... We also can't afford to stay away from home for ages, trying - we are planning on being away for 4 nights and can put that just about anywhere.  We could extend by a couple days if we needed, but not much more!

So she recommends testing and trying to come at the right time.

At the time I wasn't keen on testing (amazing how being in this position can dramatically cause you to revise your views on it!!).  I've left it with her that if we don't get a mating on Day 12, that we will get an Idexx test done with her vet that same day to see where things are at.

I just don't know if we should:

a) Not go there on Monday night unless we have a test result for ovulation.  This would mean testing Mon morning and getting result Tues at 4pm, and if positive, potentially travelling overnight Tuesday - for a mating Weds.  (Day 13)  However, levels can jump quickly and I just worry that could be too late.
b) Test Monday AM, but go there as planned on Monday night.  Either attempt a mating not knowing that result and getting it at 4pm Tuesday, or wait till getting result on Tuesday before going to stud that night - or waiting longer if result says to.
c) Go there without testing, attempt a mating Tues.  Get Idexx test done same day at stud dog's vet - get result 2 days later (due to test not being done at 9am) and use that to decide what to do with our second mating - that day, next day or later.
d) Test Friday morning and get result Saturday??  Use that to decide whether to go on Monday.
e) Test Saturday (when we are going to the vets for 1st herpes anyway) and get results Monday before 4pm, potentially delaying that night's ferry if we need to. 
f) Stop all testing and go for it, using our ferning and ovulation pads.

Er, feel free to add g and h...

I would test Friday.

I think Iddex reports in NMOL not NG but check as it makes a big difference
1.1 Nmol is baseline so would retest Friday and then see how your fixed re travel Monday which may be too soon
If your at 1.1 ng then a test Friday will likely be showing ovulation imminent or just occurred which would make your plans great timing

Yes, sorry, it's Iddex so it's nmol and it's baseline.

If we retest Friday, I'm assuming we'd get the result by 4pm Saturday?  Idexx thought that would be too soon to retest (but Monday poss too late?!).

Also, I've just remembered that our 'dog' car is booked in the garage getting some paintwork fixed on Friday, so it would be hard to get her to the vet. 

I'm guessing it's pointless testing Saturday because nothing will leave the island until Monday so it will just sit at the vet's over the weekend.  (Frustrating as we're at the vets for the herpes on Sat.)

I'm thinking we maybe should delay our trip a day at least, and do another test on Monday?!  It's all so crazy, this!

Ok, this is the exact report:

"Progesterone at this level indicates that she has not yet ovulated.  At this level, still some way away from being ready - days at least.  Resampling Friday (result Saturday) is too early really.  Leaving until Monday is longer than ideal but may well be ok.  If on Monday she seems receptive, and logically feasible, mate pending the result of Monday's sample."

So I think we will retest Mon morning, leave that evening, attempt mating Tues morning and get result Mon at 4pm.  Based on that result, we then plan where to place the 2nd mating, if the first was too early.  (Assuming it happened.) 

Levels tend to increase by 50% per day so I think you are a long way off - test Monday

Yes, that's our plan - to test Monday, but because of the weekend, that test is later than ideal - so it's a bit too risky to stay here and not travel/get the ferry.  So we will travel Mon night and try a mating Tues morning, getting Monday results at 4pm Tues.  With those, we'll know where to put the second mating. 

The latest mating we are currently booked to be over there to possibly have, is Sat morning first thing.  (A week on Saturday).  That would be Day 16.  The worst case scenario is we'll completely freak out because she's no where near ready and we're stuck there twiddling our thumbs LOL LOL, racking up accommodation costs.  But I'm hoping it doesn't come to that.

Brainless (if you read this, wish we could tag people on here!), when you had a progesterone test done with the stud dog owner's vet, did you need to actually register with that vet practice almost like a new patient and go through all that?  Like the practice wants to request the notes from your old practice and etc etc?  I mean - am I going to have any problems getting a progesterone test done over there, if we need one?

And one more question:  When you have an agreement with a stud owner for 2 matings, and you turn up and nothing happens the first time/she won't allow it - that doesn't count as one of your 2 matings, right?  Cos there wasn't one?

A mating is considered a mating when you get a tie, or at the very least a slip mating.  I allow bitches to come as many times as their bitch will stand, just in case...

I find levels only double once you get to LH surge levels otherwise thay can bob along at baseline levels for ages - had one bitch that didn't get a Ive baseline in 20 days
That said Re test Monday sounds ok to me you may be setting off a bit early as she may be only at LH surge or day of ovulation but hopefully ball park to get a mating if you can wait a few days.
As for testing in UK - I have taken visiting bitches to my own vet for test and just asked for bitch to be added to my account my account for ease
Good luck

You will either have no hair - having torn it all out - or be completely white by the time this litter arrives

wishing you lots of luck and lots of healthy puppies

Klb that's my fear - that we will bob along at low levels all week :)

If we get a mating on Tues AM & if the result comes back as not ovulated yet & not imminent, I will do the last mating as late as we can - which is 8am Sat morning (Day 16). That should cover us up to Day 21. (Sperm living 5 days hopefully.)

I'd be happier with the first mating also being planned around an Idexx test but I don't see how to do that with the weekend. Seemingly neither do Idexx, from that report! And waiting here until a result Tues at 4pm to leave Tues night and mate Weds night could be too late....