The Dog Breeding Pre-Mate Test
Pads ©
are:
-
Low Cost and effective
-
Provide immediate results in
approximately one minute
-
No need to take the bitch to
the vet and expose her to bugs
-
Tells you when the bitch is
ready to ovulate. The LH turns the pads purple (burgundy)
during the LH rise which is just prior to ovulation.
-
The Fertile-Focus kit is a good
complementary re-useable test kit that will indicate
when the eggs have ripened and the bitch is fertile.
"Having had a bitch that was late coming on heat and then in season
for 28 days, I had spent $350 on 5 progesterone tests to accomplish
the mating ... and then I discovered Dog Breeding Pre-Mate Test
Pads and
immediately ordered some so I wouldn't have to go through the expense
again of having bloods done. There are other ovulation
indicators such as a good stud dog, tissue touch, and colour of
blood, etc.
which I have written about in my book on dog breeding, but the more
positive signs and indications of the actual ovulation day, the
better. If it is an important mating, I still like to rely on
the more sure methods that pin-point the ovulation day. As it normally happens with me, the ovulation day usually
falls over a weekend, meaning the blood tests have to be done on
Friday and / or Monday and guessing at which day was the ovulation
day. Recently the bloods were not as accurate at indicating
the ripening of the eggs as the Fertile-Focus ferning kit, also
available through Lapdog. With both testing methods, there is
no more need for bloods !! Now I can pin point the expected time of
ovulation and the mating days."
How do they work?
The pads change colour from Pink to Purple/Burgundy during the
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) surge
produced by the anterior pituitary gland; this LH
surge is normally just 2 - 3 days per season. You
can start testing with the pads as early as day 1 of her season.
We suggest an early start in case you have missed a few days of
bleeding or colour, or if your bitches have silent seasons. For best
results you can test morning and evening, wipe the vulva area clean,
open the vulva, and gently place the pad about 1 – 3 cm’s inside,
place the pads sideways into the vulva so the pad soaks up vaginal
fluid and hold in place for a count of 10 to 15 seconds. Do not touch
the pink part of the pad; this may lead to a false or incorrect
result. For those who have tried the electronic ovulation
meters with the metal probe, you will be happy to know that the pads
are not cold and give a far more accurate reading on the LH surge
that triggers ovulation. They do have sharp corners,
so insert carefully.
After 10 to 15 seconds remove the pad and ensure it is soaked with
vaginal fluid, wait for 30 to 120 seconds*, if the pad remains pink with no
colour change at all, your bitch has not released her LH yet. If the pad starts
to turn colour from Pink to Purple/Burgundy even if there is just
one small spot or corner change of colour this is a positive result
and your bitch's LH has started to surge. The pad colour
change normally lasts for 3 days and the 2nd day is when
the LH spike occurs. You can expect that she will
ovulate during the next 24 to 48 hours after the LH spike and plan her mating. If left
longer than a few minutes the pads will naturally go darker in the
air. Take note of the initial change only. Continue to test your
bitch so you know exactly the day of ovulation. From the day of
ovulation, the pads will remain pink with no colour
change confirming the LH surge has passed.
* With shipments that are really
fresh from the manufacturer, the change of colour may take
2 to 3 minutes. With pads that have been stored for
awhile, the reading should occur in 30 to 60 seconds.
Ovulation is triggered by the LH surge which causes the ovaries to
release the developing eggs.
The eggs cannot be fertilised upon immediate release from the
ovaries. However, normally during the 24 - 96 hour period after the eggs
are released they become sperm friendly and are ready to be fertilised.
The fertilisation will normally last for 72 hours (3 days).
Mating 3 days in a row from the first day of fertilisation
will give the best reproduction results. Do note
that not all females run to the "normal" cycle. The
charts below will help you to understand when to mate your
bitch for optimum results.
For a "normal" bitch the best mating days will be 4th,
5th, and 6th days after the LH spike (the day the pads
turn very dark all over). Our chart below shows
mating on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th days to cover the cases
where the bitch's ovulation and ripening cycle is may be
24 hours shorter. Because the male sperm can live up
to 5 days in the bitch, we feel that in providing
general guidelines for breeders, mating a day earlier is
better than mating too late. To check the actual
days of the fertile days, we suggest purchasing a
Fertile-Focus kit along with the Pre-Mate Pads. The
Fertile-Focus kit measures the saline in the saliva and
will show a thickening of ferning on the days the bitch is
fertile. So whereas the Pre-Mate Pads tell you when
the bitch is about to ovulate, the Fertile-Focus kit will
tell which days the eggs are ripe and ready to accept the
sperm. For more information on the Fertile-Focus
kits CLICK HERE.
Note
that in dogs, the LH surge is prior to ovulation.
Although the LH factor has a very close behaviour in
humans and canines, LH is specific to each species due to
chemical differences between species -- these Pre-Mate Test Pads are specific
to dogs. In other words, the pads only work on dogs
and respond to the vaginal fluid. Human LH testing
is done with urine and only works on humans.
THE CHARTS FOR
REPRODUCTION CYCLES IN DOGS
WOULD NORMALLY LOOK LIKE THE
FOLLOWING:
 Fig
1
Note: some bitches rise quickly and ovulate 24 hours after
the start of the LH surge and some take longer and ovulate
48 to 72 hrs after the surge of the LH surge.
The ripening of the eggs is 12 to 96 hours after
ovulation. This is when the eggs become sperm friendly.
Note: the ovulation and egg process may only last as long
as 24 to 36 hours in some bitches. Normally it will last
48 - 96 hours.
Many vets and scientists have attempted to show the
breeding pattern of the canine over the years. Below
are three of the charts we think clarify the mating cycle.
Chart from
Modern breeding management in dogs;
September 2000 Veterinary Medicine
Fig 3
Note: Some bitches rise quickly and ovulate 24 hours
after the start of the LH surge and some take longer and
ovulate 48 to 72 hours after the surge of the LH spike.
The ripening of the eggs is 12 to 96 hours after
ovulation. This is when the eggs become sperm friendly.
The ovulation and egg ripening process may only last as
long as 24 to 36 hours in some bitches - these bitches are
difficult to get successful mating from because of their
narrow window of opportunity.
The figures for ovulation and follicle rupture in Fig 3 are from
the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Book of
Dogs.
Please bare in mind that each dog is an individual and
that the cycle for your dog may vary from these chart.
A note on the two mating patterns shown in the chart. In a natural mating with a good tie, the male sperm
normally lives up to 5 days. Chilled semen usually lives
24
to 48 hours and frozen semen normally lives up to 12 hours. It is for this reason that a natural
mating will produce the best chance of pregnancy in a dog.
The term normal is used with the meaning that it is the
most frequent occurring in the canine world as a whole.
Again, your dog may be normal within itself, but not
normal in comparison to other dogs. It is best when
you do not have a reproduction history on a dog to start
testing early in the cycle. The Pre-Mate Test Pads
are reacting to the LH surge -- the days marked in purple.
Each day is counted as a 24 hours period. If your
girl first shows a change in colour on the pad on the
morning of day 12, then 24 hours would be the following
morning. 48 hours would be the morning two days from
the first change, etc.
A further note, some "natural
ovulation detector dogs" will not mate a girl until the
day she ovulates. LH surges and ovulation mean nothing to them.
They react to a specific chemical change in the urine when
the egg follicles start to ripen. If you happen to
have one of these natural ovulation detecting dogs, do not
expect them to mate when the pad first turns colour, but
rather between 48 and 96 hours later. This type of dog
is great for being able to mate on the days the bitch is
most fertile and will normally
produce the best litters possible based on the quality of
the sperm and eggs. A stud dog that may have been
dependable in the past, may be less dependable if another
male is brought on the property as it may result in a
"I'll get her first" attitude rather than a reaction to
the actual chemical changes in the bitch. Also if
there are more than one bitch on the property in season,
using a male dog as a detector may present some problems.
Note: Some bitches can ovulate as early as day 5 and as late as day
21 or even later if the season lasts for 28 days or so.
WARNING! DON'T TOUCH THE PINK PART OF THE PAD, this may affect
your results. Keep unused pads in the re-seal bag they come in
and store out of sunlight, preferably in a dark place.
|
