Pregnancy Testing

[Ariel301]

I have a doe that I just am not sure if she is bred or not. She was with the buck for a month in August. She hasn't come back into what I'd call a real heat, but she's been sort of flirty a couple of times, kind of a semi-heat, but she was not interested in being bred when I took her over to the buck during those. She seems to be getting rounder maybe, but I just don't know, and it is very vital to me that she be bred. Normally it wouldn't be such a problem, I'd just leave her in with a buck, but this year I am using one that does not belong to me, so I don't have access to him all the time.

So, I'm going to have to break down and pregnancy test her I guess. I know I can draw a blood sample and mail it in to a lab like BioTracking, but the with the shipping it is pretty expensive, and I have very little budget to work with, with only my husband working right now and he just got cut back to 15 hours a week at minimum wage. :/

Does anyone know if a livestock vet would be able to do this test in their office if I took a blood sample in, and would it possibly cost less than having to ship samples out of state?

 

[Calliopia]

Depending on when in August she was bred then she's about 3-4 months along. You should be able to feel movement either now or very very soon.

 

[Ariel301]

It was actually the last week of August into the beginning of September, now that I look at the calendar, and I marked that she was bred multiple times while in heat on September 1...so she'd be due end of January/beginning of February. The other does bred at the same time are obviously pregnant, getting really fat and I am just starting to be able to feel something in there, and they have not cycled again...but Grace is keeping her secrets! She's rounded out some, but I'm not sure if that is pregnancy or just being super full of food because I've been feeding her extra to get more weight on her since she milks herself down to a walking skeleton by fall. :/ Last year she never really looked pregnant even though she had triplets.

None of the local vets handle large animals on a regular basis. I make trips into other larger towns in the area at least once a month, so it would be possible to drop a sample off with a vet in say, Las Vegas in a couple of weeks, if I could find one that would do the testing in office for a reasonable price. I'm just curious if that's something a vet could do before I go through the phone book calling dozens of them.

It's really too bad they haven't developed a test for goat breeders to use at home. It would be so simple then!

 

[Renegade]

The BioPryn test for goats is $7.50 and Priority shipping would be less then the test depending on the size box you put it in.
I spoke with BioTracking a few weeks ago and they told me they have not released the goat pregnancy test to anyone yet.

Donna

 

[aggieterpkatie]

It really shouldn't cost more than $5 to ship it. I can't remember it ever being more, even when I send multiple samples at at time. Do you live somewhere that makes it extraordinarily more Ariel?

 

[Ariel301]

I live in the middle of the desert in northwest Arizona. Their map shows the nearest lab being in Utah...would I not have to overnight ship it to them to keep the blood from spoiling?

 

[ksalvagno]

Do you have one of those freezer packs that isn't water? Just put a freezer pack in with the blood.

 

[Ariel301]

Ok, I found the information I needed on their site, it took a little searching around. It can apparently be fine in the mail for two weeks without chilling, so shipping would not be a big deal. I guess I will go with that.

Goats can be so frustrating lol. I think they do it on purpose. At least this year I know everyone's breeding date so I have a clue when they are due, last year was a mess with not knowing on half my does. Hoping for healthy, numerous, and female kids in a couple of months--last year I got all boys from six does!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Ok, I found the information I needed on their site, it took a little searching around. It can apparently be fine in the mail for two weeks without chilling, so shipping would not be a big deal. I guess I will go with that.

Goats can be so frustrating lol. I think they do it on purpose. At least this year I know everyone's breeding date so I have a clue when they are due, last year was a mess with not knowing on half my does. Hoping for healthy, numerous, and female kids in a couple of months--last year I got all boys from six does!

Good luck!

 

[Renegade]

I think you missed my point. You must send all goat pregnancy samples directly to BioTracking in ID. It is the only lab that can do goat pregnancy testing. The other labs listed do other testing for them. Believe me I've already made this mistake myself. This was told to me by BioTracking itself just last month.
You do not need to overnight samples.

Donna