Blood hormone
progesterone tests

canine fertility & breeding services

It is ILLEGAL for anyone to draw blood from your pet unless they are a qualified and registered vet or vet nurse practising under a registered vet.

The hormone progesterone is secreted before ovulation and we can use this characteristic of the canine oestrus cycle to determine when the bitch ovulates.

The most common cause of ‘infertility’ in a bitch is mistimed mating. It is recommended to start progesterone testing around day 6 of the heat cycle. Some bitches ovulate as early as this and some ovulate much later - it is better to test early than too late! You may need to repeat the test a few times over the course of several days but it is crucial to pinpoint ovulation in order to time your mating’s optimally for maximum litter potential. We can advise when to retest based on progesterone levels, and when to mate. Once ovulation has occurred the eggs take around 48 hours to mature enough for sperm to be able to fertilise them. Once the eggs are soft enough for fertilisation there is a small window of opportunity - usually just a few days - before the eggs start to die.

To test, you need to ask your vet to draw some blood (usually 2ml is more than enough) and hand it to us for testing. Sensible pricing for this service is around £15-£20 depending on your vet. If you are quoted an unreasonably high price, enquire with other local vets. You can send your sample to us if more convenient, using a next day delivery service.

Once we receive your vial of blood, testing can be done while you wait, or you can leave it with us and receive your results via the method of your choice.

Results are given in ng/ml and nmol/L measurements.

Results are ready in less than 30 minutes from Breed Right Canine and Fertility Breeding services.

Our Progesterone service is £20 per sample.

*Whilst it may seem an extra expense to utilise progesterone tests, it is a small price to pay overall when you consider that mating too early or late can result in smaller litter sizes and even singleton pregnancies, which are at higher risk of being reabsorbed. In some cases, mating too early or late can result in no pregnancy at all, along with the inconvenience of having to wait for the next season.

Gestation is 63 days from ovulation, not from mating dates, so if you don’t know when ovulation occurred you will not have an accurate due date.