The Dog Breeding Pre-Mate Test
Pads ©
are:
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Low Cost and
effective
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Provide
immediate results in approximately one minute
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No need to
take the bitch to the vet and expose her to bugs
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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.
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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.
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