Timing Breedings

• When to do a progesterone test
• Timing first breedings
• Interested bitch and uninterested studs
• Male uninterested in bitch in season
• Draminski ovulation detector vs progesterone testing

When to do a progesterone test

Q: When is the best time to do a progesterone test? 

A: When my girls come into season, I generally plan on pulling a progesterone test on day 5-7 after I see the first blood. This generally lets me know where she is. Remember every bitch cycles differently and some girls ovulate early in their cycle, and others ovulate late in their cycle. Once you see where she is you can determine when your next test will be. Using progesterone testing lets you see when it is time to breed for maximum conception, as well as giving you an accurate window for whelping. Good luck on your breeding.

Timing first breedings

Q: Susan, when you pair a dog and bitch for the first time and neither are "proven," other than progesterone testing for timing, do you suggest a relaxin test or ultrasound to verify pregnancy? Also, would you still have an x-ray done for a puppy count?

Other than OxyMate, should the bitch still be given B-Strong (Breeder's Edge) or any other vitamins during her pregnancy?

I haven't whelped a litter since February 2011 and that was for a friend of mine. I have also never whelped a litter of smaller breed pups where the bitch was under 90 pounds and now I have Cocker Spaniels. Anything special I should know about smaller breeds?

A: There are a few tools that you can use to help determine the correct time to breed. You are correct that timing using progesterone testing is the ‘gold standard.’ I like using the Witness Relaxin test 30 days after the last breeding, and I also run a progesterone test at that time as well. Doing this lets me know if she is pregnant, and how her progesterone level is doing. If it is a bit low then I will monitor it weekly, or more often.

I give all of my dogs a human grade B-50 vitamin, because of the benefits that the B vitamins have to the overall health of the dog. Because they are water soluble, I want to make sure that what they need is available. When I know I am going to breed one of my girls I add 400-800mcg Folic Acid or Folate to mitigate possible midline defects. I also include DHA, and Vit C for my pregnant girls. I am careful of supplements because I do not want too much Vit A, or other vitamins that can cause issues. More is not always ‘better.’

I also am very careful to avoid any product that contains blue cohosh or red raspberry leaves, as they can cause uterine contractions which can adversely affect pregnancy. It is very important to closely read the labels of any supplement that you give so that you know the ingredients.

Smaller breeds are obviously going to produce smaller puppies, but do not let that scare you! Simply be prepared that they may need more warmth in the whelping box, and you may want to start weighing them in grams instead of ounces so that you can make sure they are gaining weight daily. I also like to make sure I am not dealing with hypoglycemic situations, which can happen in smaller puppies, so you will need to be on alert for that.

Interested bitch and uninterested studs

Q: One of our females came in heat on schedule after having her first litter. We generally just check our girls with our boys to determine correct breeding time. This girl started exhibiting signs that she was very ready and wanted to be bred. We brought the male to her, and he showed no interest. When he continued this, we checked her with our other two males, and they also were not interested. This continued several days until the female no longer showed interest. I usually do AI, but my boys won't let me collect them if they aren't excited. So this girl did not get bred. My only guess is that she did not smell right, but I have no idea why. She had been checked for infection previous to this situation. Hoping to figure this out before her next heat!

A: The longer I breed the more things I never expect to happen pop up, and it sounds like it is the same for you! The first thing I would suggest is to use your males as simply one of the tools in your toolbox for breeding. They are not infallible and so you really need to have other ways of telling what is going on. You are looking to see if she has ovulated and when the correct time to breed is in order to maximize conception. Here is a good list of tools for you to work with:

Vaginal Cytology – for this you will need a microscope, swabs and slides. Doing cytology lets you know what the cells are doing to prepare for breeding and pregnancy. This link to the LSU vet school educational website is a great DIY place to start http://therio.vetmed.lsu.edu/k-9__vaginal_cytology.htm. The next webpage is the Colorado State educational page - http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/reprod/vc/cycle.html  Both of these show you how, what to look for in cell cornification, and the tools you need to do cytology.

Color tests – Both Target and PreMate tests enable you to use their solutions to coordinate the color of the test to ovulation by drawing blood, extracting serum and following their test directions. To do this you will need to have a centrifuge, and the ability to draw blood.

Progesterone – this is the gold standard of testing to optimize breeding time for your dog. The reason for progesterone testing is that there are two hormones at work, estrogen and progesterone. The estrogen is what makes your girls receptive and attracts the boys, whereas it is the progesterone that causes ovulation and maintains the pregnancy. Because there are times that the two hormones are not in sync, doing the blood test gives us information to make breeding timing decisions. This also allows you to see if you are having a split season, where there is no ovulation in part 1, but there is ovulation in part 2 of the split season. Running progesterone can be done through your veterinarian or you can set up an account for yourself at one of many labs around the country, and just overnight your blood serum to them for testing.

Male uninterested in bitch in season

Q: When I take my female to mate with a male between days 11-14, the male always acts uninterested even though our female is enticing the male. When our female is pregnant, she is able to carry the litter to term and has a healthy litter.

A: When your female is finally bred, I am glad that she carries to term and delivers a healthy litter. When breeding, we need to remember that not all females ovulate and are interested in mating on days 11-14. Those dates are simply guesses based on the average length of the bitch’s cycle and the average timing. There are two hormones at work in the breeding cycle, progesterone and estrogen, and while they generally work in sync, sometimes they do not. The estrogen makes your girl very flirty, but the progesterone determines when the eggs are released and ready to be fertilized. Work with your veterinarian to draw blood and obtain the progesterone levels for proper breeding timing. This way, you will not be wasting your time or getting frustrated if your dogs are not mating as you expect.

Draminski ovulation detector vs progesterone testing

Q: Have you used the Draminski Ovulation Detector? I have relied solely on progesterone testing but had a miss, due to not continuing with more testing after I noted my bitch's rise. Someone has offered to let me borrow their device, but I have read mixed reviews online.

A: I have not personally used a Draminski Ovulation Detector. This device works by using the relationship between changes in the electrical resistance of mucus and the appearance of estrous. The device is a probe that is inserted multiple times a day up through the vulva of your girl, it is rotated and then the measurement is recorded from the Draminski screen attached to the probe. The measurements are then graphed showing you when LH surge has occurred so that you can breed after waiting for the eggs to mature.

I have many concerns; the first is that “one size does not fit all” and there does not appear to be a probe sized for small or toy breeds. Next, needing to do this procedure multiple times a day is not something that everyone can do over the course of potentially 2wks or possibly longer if you have a girl who just drags out her heat cycle or who has a split heat. The next issue for me is the disinfection protocol. I am not a fan of passing instruments between the girls without a thorough disinfection, as that can be a big bacteria, mycoplasma or other infection vector. If you choose to use the Draminski you will have to use a disinfection protocol that will not damage the probe.

Finally, progesterone testing and breeding by the numbers is truly the gold standard, as you measure the hormone levels directly from the blood. You mention that you missed a breeding because you did not run progesterone tests once you noticed the rise, and this shows the importance of progesterone. I am OCD about progesterone, and I run a test the same time I do a breeding because I want the number on the day that she was bred. I have experienced girls who will stall out, literally hang at the same number and not rise for a whole week, even though it looks like they might have ovulated, but they did not. Then they shoot up dramatically, and I have a small window for breeding. The numbers do not lie.

There are many tools that are used in breeding, vaginal cytology, ferning, the Draminski and the ultimate gold standard of progesterone testing. I choose only to use progesterone testingas there is no guessing. 

For more information on progesterone timing see https://schultzvetclinic.com/progesterone-timing/ 

http://www.reproductiverevolutions.com/RR_files/pdf_docs/Ovulation_Timing_in_the_Bitch3.pdf