3 Tests Every Dog Breeder Should Use Before Breeding

Breeding dogs is a fulfilling and unique experience, to say the very least. Being able to successfully impregnate a bitch, watch her belly steadily grow, then see and assist her give birth to a healthy litter is truly something that can feel otherwordly.

However, without taking the proper precautions from pre-insemination to birth, a lot can go wrong. As a breeder, that is something you certainly do not want to happen. You want everything to always go seamlessly so you can have the most successful puppies possible while also keeping all dogs involved healthy and comfortable.

Fortunately, there are several steps that you can take as a breeder to greatly minimize the chances of error. More specifically, you could (and should) administer various tests to determine the overall health and success of canine adults prior to any pregnancy attempts.

Let’s take a look at three screening tests that every breeder should utilize in order to yield the best results.

1.Brucellosis Test

Canine brucellosis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can lead to an infection in the reproductive system or even a sexually transmitted disease. As you might have already gathered from this brief explanation alone, this is not an ideal illness to have your bitch or sire made susceptible to.

Unfortunately, it gets worse: there is no guaranteed treatment or cure for this infection. Therefore, if you do not use a Brucellosis test for dogs prior to any insemination attempt, you risk having the sire passing it to the bitch (or vice versa). If/when infected dogs pass it to bitches, however, various negative outcomes can arise, such as:

●Stillbirths
●Bitch infertility
●Aborted fetuses during the third trimester
●Litter resorption
●Failure to conceive

The infection mainly affects the reproductive system but has also been known to spread to other body parts, including the eyes, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and even the spinal column.

The frightening issues do not end there with this dangerous condition: it’s zoonotic, which means that it can be spread from dogs to humans. It can also be spread to other animals and livestock. Plus, many dogs are even asymptomatic, so you won’t even realize that either the sire or bitch has contracted it.

All of the above is precisely why you should use a Brucellosis test for dogs prior to breeding. However, you need to use caution in selecting the most accurate confirmatory testing options available. Fortunately, you can use our accurate and fast Brucellosis test for dogs. It comes in 10-count, it’s easy to administer, and you’ll receive fast results in 8-10 minutes.

2.Canine Giardia Test
Giardia is a parasite that lives inside the intestines of various animals. Mature Giardia parasites live and procreate in the small intestine, then become cysts. Dogs don’t always show symptoms of having these parasites in their bodies, but some symptoms that they just might show include:

●Weight loss
●Diarrhea
●Dehydration
●Vomiting
●Inability to gain weight

Canines contract this parasite through ingestion, usually from water, food, trash, and other such materials that have been contaminated by fecal matter. When this condition is left untreated, a dog could suffer massive nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, weight loss, and even death.

Another issue with this particular parasite is that it can be spread from one dog to another. It’s not extremely contagious but it is possible nonetheless, which is another reason why you should use a canine Giardia test prior to breeding.

Our Giardia tests come in packs of 10, are easy to interpret and administer, and deliver fast results in just 8-10 minutes. Breed with confidence and efficiency by knowing if either the sire or bitch has Giardia and, if they do, you can treat them properly prior to breeding attempts.

3.Canine Urine Test
For one test that can provide you with a slew of key information about a sire of bitch’s health, look no further than a dog urine test.

Our dog urine tests in particular can tell you a lot about your canine so you can save major time, patience, and effort in breeding procedures. They can detect potential issues that you can then tackle with your veterinarian prior to breeding. They can show you stats on:

●Blood cell counts: can indicate possible blood disorders, infections, kidney disease, or cancer
●Calcium ion: clarify potential kidney stones and other kidney issues
●Creatinine: for kidney function
●Glucose: diabetes
●Ketones: ketogenic diet or diabetic ketoacidosis
●Leukocytes: can suggest infection
●Microalbumin: can detect early kidney disease
●Nitrites: urinary tract infections
●pH: measure acidity in urine
●Protein: detect potential kidney malfunction
●Urobilirubin/Bilirubin: check for potential liver impairment
●Vitamin C: for clarity on immunity

When you are planning to start dog breeding, make sure that you administer these three key tests: a Brucellosis test for dogs, a Giardia test, and a urine test. There are plenty of other tests that you could use prior to breeding and even after in order to have optimal peace of mind. Browse all of our dog breeding tests to find the best options for you, your canines, and future litters!