FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
Titre Testing FAQ
Our VacciCheck canine titre test measures antibody levels to Parvovirus, Canine Distemper and Infectious Hepatitis in dogs (the 3 core diseases that are vaccinated against). This helps ascertain vaccination status and prevent consequences associated with over/under vaccination.
The canine titre test will tell you whether your dog is protected against the three core diseases that are routinely vaccinated against:
- Distemper (CDV)
- Infectious Hepatitis (ICH)
- Parvovirus (CPVH)
Titre testing avoids unnecessary over-vaccination.
There are several acquired illnesses that have been linked to vaccination, with evidence to suggest vaccination triggering the onset. These illnesses include immune mediated haemolytic anaemia, immune mediated thrombocytopaenia and immune-mediated skin disorders. Thus, every vaccination carries a risk.
That said, it is important to vaccinate dogs in order to allow them to build immunity and fight diseases. However, due to a great variability in their ability to build their protection, and a great variability in the duration of immunity in each dog/cat, titre testing is the only available tool to help vets make a smart, evidence-based decision regarding revaccination. By titre testing pets, we can determine whether revaccination is needed or not and prevent possible vaccination side effects.
Titre tests can be performed at any stage of a dog’s life. However, the best time is shortly before they are due their ‘booster’. This lets you know if they actually need at ‘booster’ or not.
If you are wanting to titre test a puppy, it is best to wait until 3-4 weeks after their vaccination.
The higher the number the higher the concentration of antibodies. The reporting range is from 0 (no antibodies detected) to 6.
The results are always relative to a positive control.
A score of 2 and above is considered positive, meaning the animal is protected.
The WSAVA Vaccination 2016 Guidelines state: “The presence of antibody (no matter what the titer is) indicates protective immunity and immunological memory is present in that animal. Giving more frequent vaccines to animals in an attempt to increase antibody titre is a pointless exercise. It is impossible to create ‘greater immunity’ by attempting to increase an antibody titre”.
The frequency of repeat titre testing is at the discretion of the owner.
If your previous titre test result was borderline positive (1 or 2), then you may want to titre test sooner than if the result was a strong positive (3+).
Antibody titres can wane as animals get older and there may be a point at which an older dog may need re vaccination, however, this decision should be made on a risk analysis based on age and potential side affects from a vaccine at an older age and any other existing medical conditions.
You may feel that if you have younger dogs you are happy with testing less frequently.
If you are testing to satisfy the requirements of a third party (ie dog boarder, kennel, council licensing etc), then please see their recommendations.
We recommend testing at 16 weeks, or 3-4 weeks after their vaccination.
The performance of the VacciCheck test kit has been validated using clinical samples by comparing results to the gold standard titre assays.
According to the WSAVA Guidelines (attached): “A high percentage (98%) of core puppy vaccines given between 14-16 weeks of age will provide immunity against parvovirus, distemper and adenovirus for many years, and probably for the life of the animal.”
Canine Ultrasound Scanning FAQ
Probably the most common dog breeding FAQ
More accurate puppy counts are possible when you bring your dog for a scan 28-32 days after last mating.
Progesterone Testing FAQ
A progesterone test analyses a blood sample for circulating progesterone, in dogs it is the hormone that indicates ovulation and helps maintain a pregnancy.
By testing progesterone levels, you are able to pinpoint the day of ovulation and plan matings that are more likely to result in success.
The progesterone test that we offer is run on the state of the art MiniVidas Blue; it provides quantitative results meaning it will provide an accurate numerical value of circulating progesterone (not a colour change/PreMate, that is inaccurate) and is therefore able to pin point ovulation and subsequently the best day to mate your dog.
It is recognised that in the dog up to 75% of failures to conceive can be attributed to incorrect timing of breeding. ¹
More precise timing of the breeding events is required when:
There is limited access to the stud
When artificial reproductive techniques are going to be used
When the quality of the semen is questionable.
The ability to accurately time breeding is of practical and economic importance to breeders. Optimal timing helps breeders:
Maximise pregnancy rates and litter size (Semen and stud fees are expensive.)
Plan travel for matings
Optimise of time for assisted breeding techniques (artificial insemination using fresh, chilled, or frozen
semen)
Optimise the timing of breeding when access to the stud is limited to one or two matings
Prevent unnecessary use of male
With the planning of matings when the same male is used on two bitches simultaneously
Optimise the time for breeding in bitches that have a history of non-receptivity or show silent heats
Estimate expected whelping dates more accurately based on a known ovulation date.
Successful fertilisation typically occurs between 3–4 days before the end of estrus. By simply observing a bitch during her heat cycle, there is no way of knowing when the end of estrus will be. To complicate matters, some bitches may bleed throughout their entire heat period, whereas other may not, some bitches may stand for a stud willingly, even long before there are eggs available for fertilisation, whilst others may only be receptive for a day or two. There are many other variations and idiosyncratic behaviors that can confuse the breeder, all contributing to a missed opportunity to breed the bitch successfully.
The ovulation test is most commonly used by breeders who are subject to large stud fees and require some sort of guarantee that their bitch had the correct progesterone levels; if their bitch does not become pregnant, but had the correct progesterone levels, the fault is usually the stud dog.
It is a common misconception among breeders that the heat cycle and the point at which a bitch will allow mating replicates itself in each repeating heat cycle of each individual bitch. The breeder then uses the data from a previous cycle and applies it to the next cycle. For instance, because a bitch was previously successfully bred on day 10 (starting from first signs of heat), the breeder will keep on mating that specific bitch on day 10. While this might work in some cases, it most certainly won’t work in all cases. Similarly, it is not always true that the stud can sniff out exactly when the bitch is at her peak (optimum time for fertilization).
Probably the second most common dog breeding FAQ We try and limit the number of tests required to accurate predict ovulation. It is better to take an initial sample and retest 3/4 days after than to completely miss ovulation. Typically two or 3 tests are required.
