I am planning to take our bitch to Holland for mating. Need to be absolutely sure od premium time so had anticipated blood tests from the vet. Can anyone explain exactly what this entails and how accurate please.

i dont use my vet for premate test i send mine a way to idxx.my vet take the blood i post to the company bye the 9am post i have always had the results phone back to me bye 2pm the next day bye larry roberts.i have always had good result with bitch in whelp.

in nov i did gollie on day 12 blood test call on day 13 to mate her on day 14 which we did we had one mating of 23 mins and she in whelp due feb.we had the same results the last time she was mated two years ago but she was mated on day 15/16 she had 5 puppie then

I have recently used the Pre-Mate blood tests for the first time on 2 of my bitches.  My vet took blood early morning and results were back by 1pm.  My 1st bitch has previously missed after a day 12 mating - so I had her swabbed early for infection and started bloods on day 8 - a bit early I know, but I had to get it right this time.  Results showed to re-test in 2 days until day 15 when is showed oestrus had started - you now have a 48 hour window in which to mate.  So off we went to the stud on the following day - 5th & 6th Jan - so still too early to tell if it has worked.  Had fantastic mating each time - stud dogs owner thought we were spot on with timing - so fingers crossed.  2nd bitch has previously had 2 small litters - 3 & 2 - so had her checked also to see if we were going on the wrong day with her - her 1st test came back oestrus had started and she was mated on days 12 & 14 - 1st attempt more of a slip mating, but had a 15 minute tie on the 2nd.  Speak to your vet about pre-mate - I was impressed with the service and they even phoned the lab to confirm in ordinary terms exactly what steps to take next.  I personally didn't think the cost was too bad - especially if it's sucessful. Good luck.

Apparently my Vet does not send to lab. He does in house testing. Not sure if it is good or bad