Premate Blood Test
I had heard from various "doggy" friends that the Premate blood test had
proved extremely accurate in determining the correct day to mate their
bitches, with litters resulting and no bitches "missing".
We had, in the past, had a lot of problems with getting our bitches in
whelp, but at the time we were having trouble, this test was not widely
available. I think our problems were partly due to Beta Haemolytic
Streptococci and E. coli infection, but partly due to incorrect timing of the
matings.
Sometimes it is very difficult to decide on the right day to take a bitch for
mating. Not all bitches stand for their companions especially if you don't
have a male to test their reaction to. Not all bitches follow the accepted
pattern of reduced bleeding with the discharge changing to 'straw' colour
at the time they are ready for mating. Many carry on bleeding throughout
the season, with the discharge perhaps only fading a little to pinky red.
So, this summer I decided to try the test with a young bitch being mated
for the first time. She had previously had a prolonged season lasting
about 28 days with heavy bleeding, so I considered she might be a
"problem" bitch to determine the correct day for mating.
Our vets unfortunately do not stock the Premate test as a standard item
so we had to buy the whole test kit which is capable of producing 20 - 30
test results. This cost in the region of £60 - 70 with an additional fee of
about £30 for the vet to take the blood samples for testing. However, if
your vet holds the kit in stock, I believe you would probably be charged
about £15 - 20 per test, from talking to friends.
The literature that comes with the test suggests that if the bitch to be
mated has already missed on a previous occasion, or is suspected of
being an early ovulator, the first blood sample should be taken on day 3
after the commencement of bleeding. Otherwise, begin testing from day
7 - 9 of the season.
Basically, the procedure is for the vet to take a small blood sample from
the dog's leg, which is then used to measure the progesterone level in a
small drop of plasma or serum extracted from the blood sample. The
amount of progesterone hormone present is indicated by a colour change
which the vet checks against two "control" bottles, one a darker pink
than the other. The reason for checking levels of progesterone in the
blood stream are that the level of this hormone rises as the level of
oestrogen hormone drops, following a surge of leutenising hormone, just
prior to ovulation. The test will show firstly whether the bitch is still in
pro-oestrus (i.e. has not ovulated yet) in which case the test should be
carried out again in 48 hours time.
The second type of result is an "intermediate" one which suggests that
oestrus has probably begun and the bitch will in the normal course of
events, ovulate within 24 hours. However, to be absolutely certain that
the bitch has ovulated, a further test is recommended in 48 hours to
ensure that ovulation has occurred. This is especially important with
"problem" bitches.
Bitches being mated for the first time or with no history of fertility problems,
will probably mate with a successful outcome 2 days after an
"intermediate" result is shown by the test kit.
The third type of result obtained by the sample kit is one which shows
that ovulation has occurred or is about to occur, in which case the
advice is to "mate without delay", although provided the bitch is mated
within 48 hours of this result a successful fertilisation of the ova should
occur unless the bitch is well past the first signs of standing oestrus. This
is because after ovulation, the eggs take 2 - 3 days to reach the right
stage for fertilisation.
In the case of our bitch, she had a test on day 8 of her season which
said she was still in pro-oestrus, a test on day 10 which said the same
and a final test on day 12 which gave the "mate without delay" result.
By that stage, I had seen her flick her tail once, very half-heartedly on the
evening of day 10. Her discharge was still a pinky-red colour and I would
have had no real idea about when to mate her other than the usual
standby of day 11 and 13 as recommended in the text books.
We duly took her to the stud dog on the evening of day 12 and had an
excellent mating with a 20 minute tie. The dog got on with the job, didn't
fidget about or make unsuccessful attempts to mate the bitch. She was
clearly "spot on" and stood calmly without any fuss. We did take her
back again 48 hours later, but the dog didn't really want to know and the
bitch was a little growly. We did not manage to get them mated. She
had obviously "gone over".
Her season dried up early, by day 17 - always an excellent sign that the
mating has been successful. The result was a trouble-free whelping of 6
puppies: 3 dogs and 3 bitches, you couldn't have asked for anything
better.
Although the test was quite expensive, I would use it again if I was
travelling a distance to use a particular dog. It eliminates all that wasted
time and effort. You know you're going on the right day, and the mating
should take place quickly and easily as the bitch smells just right to the
dog and should be at her most compliant. Many's the time I have spent
hours grovelling around on the floor trying to get two animals mated
without much success on what must, with hindsight, have been the
wrong day. Sometimes trying again 2 days later has achieved a better
result, but think of all that frustration and wasted time. In fact, a few
times dog and bitch have so disliked each other as a result of a previous
unsuccessful attempt at mating that a very unsatisfactory mating with no
tie or even no mating at all has been the result.
I think these days many vets do keep the Premate test in stock, but I'm
sure they would be able to get hold of it if not. Well worth a try in my
opinion and in the opinion of many stud dog owners too!
SUE SEATH
January 1998