Alertys on farm pregnancy test

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Chapin81

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Hi, everyone. I have a few questions for those who have done it.

Can I use a needle and syringe to fill the test tube? Is that a common practice, or do I need a collection needle with a blood sample holder to insert the test tube into? What size needle do you use? I'm assuming the test tubes are EDTA, correct? And how many ml of blood do I need in the test tube to mix with the EDTA? I'm new to this and will try it in the next few weeks. I hope this makes sense. Thanks to all for the response.
 
Use a syringe if you want. Its easier for me so that is what I use. Use the red top tubes only. I use a three ML syringe that comes with a 18ga needle. Fill it is much as you can but usually just 2 ml or so will be enough. Watch the videos on how to tail bleed, Its fairly simple but I always have one or two that are difficult.
 
Use a syringe if you want. It's easier for me so that is what I use. Use the red top tubes only. I use a three ML syringe that comes with a 18ga needle. Fill it is much as you can but usually just 2 ml or so will be enough. Watch the videos on how to tail bleed, Its fairly simple but I always have one or two that are difficult.
Thanks for the response why the red top tubes only??? Aren't I supposed to use the lavender tops EDTAK2 for this type of test?? Thanks
 
Yes many use the syringe. I believe you can take syringe plunger out and draw blood with pipette straight from syringe and no need to mix in anticoagulant from vial. You are adding the drops of solution which draws the blood along the strip. Of course this is if you are doing the test immediately. I have found important to keep test level or slightly tilted to help blood flow down the strip. Even so sometimes it takes quite a while and other times races there.
 
Hi, everyone. I have a few questions for those who have done it.

Can I use a needle and syringe to fill the test tube? Is that a common practice, or do I need a collection needle with a blood sample holder to insert the test tube into? What size needle do you use? I'm assuming the test tubes are EDTA, correct? And how many ml of blood do I need in the test tube to mix with the EDTA? I'm new to this and will try it in the next few weeks. I hope this makes sense. Thanks to all for the response.
We start using them a while back and at first we didn't buy the vacuum tubes either.
But I do believe that the vacuum tubes have an anticoagulant in it that helps disperse the blood through the tester.
So we ordered the vac tubes and needles.
I don't think it's going to make it any easier than just drawing blood with the syringe but when I look at the cost of the syringe and a needle compared to buying the vac tubes and needles I ended up saving money. Of course I was buying quantities of 100.
 
We start using them a while back and at first we didn't buy the vacuum tubes either.
But I do believe that the vacuum tubes have an anticoagulant in it that helps disperse the blood through the tester.
So we ordered the vac tubes and needles.
I don't think it's going to make it any easier than just drawing blood with the syringe but when I look at the cost of the syringe and a needle compared to buying the vac tubes and needles I ended up saving money. Of course I was buying quantities of 100.
Thanks for the info you provided. I'm going to give it a shot with the purple test tubes first the directions did mention EDTA/purple tubes and see how fast it can be done.
 
It makes it way easier to have another person pull the tail back for you. I usually get a box of blue towels, also. As I walk up they lift the tail for me, I wipe the tail with my left hand and feel with my fingers. Then poke with my right hand. If you do it right it pretty much fills the syringe on its own. You don't really have to pull much.
 
It makes it way easier to have another person pull the tail back for you. I usually get a box of blue towels, also. As I walk up they lift the tail for me, I wipe the tail with my left hand and feel with my fingers. Then poke with my right hand. If you do it right it pretty much fills the syringe on its own. You don't really have to pull much.
Wish me luck mine are savages in the alley. 😂 they break stuff 😂
 
UPDATE !!!!
So we had a bad experience with this test method.
ln August we bred our Japanese Brown, 60 days later she showed open using this blood test.
Last week we bred her again and this morning she had what appear to be a four and a half month old calf obviously it didn't make it. So needless to say we will never use this again.
We had to false positives before but we never had a false negative.
 
I believe the Idexx Alertys test uses a purple top tube and gives results by visually looking for a control line and the presence or absence of a test line. Very similar to the home covid test as far as reading - a yes or no test by seeing a line or not. Sometimes the lines on those covid tests were pretty pale and uncertain. I have never used the Alertys test.

I have used the Biopryn test for many years. It uses a red top tube. The tube with sample is mailed to a lab and takes a few days to get the results. But there is a measurement involved, not just a yes/no visual. The measurement is for OD (whatever that is). The report that I get lists the OD measurement. Values from my last test were numbers like 0.61, 0.667, 0.711, and 0.625. The report says that OD values less than 0.135 are open, values between 0.135 to 0.21 need to be rechecked later, and values greater than 0.21 are pregnant. And each cow number is listed with the status - Open, Pregnant or Recheck.

It states "If a sample's OD falls in the Open range, 99.9% of animals are not pregnant in confirmatory testing; alternatively, if the OD falls in the Pregnant range, 93 - 95% of animals are pregnant in confirmatory testing." Again, I have never used the Alertys test, but I am pleased with the biopryn lab test. No wondering if I see a line or don't see a line or think I might see a faint line or maybe its a shadow. Bright light, low light or flashlight don't come into play. I just pull the blood and mail it and leave the testing to those who run lots of these tests and know how to read them.
 
I love these tests. Been a game changer for me but i only have a tiny herd. So far ive used about 15 of these and on about 5 felt the reading was wrong and not what i was expecting with both negative and positive yet for me so far 100% accurate. And some of them were months out of date. I always have any negatives checked by vet just to be sure.
 
UPDATE !!!!
So we had a bad experience with this test method.
ln August we bred our Japanese Brown, 60 days later she showed open using this blood test.
Last week we bred her again and this morning she had what appear to be a four and a half month old calf obviously it didn't make it. So needless to say we will never use this again.
We had to false positives before but we never had a false negative.
Sorry for the lost pregnancy. I'm new to the site and new to these tests. Getting ready to use one myself and I'm wondering why you think the inaccurate test would result in an aborted calf? I'm assuming you use AI? Wouldn't the inseminator be able to feel the pregnancy at 4.5 months when doing the rectal palpations?
 
Sorry for the lost pregnancy. I'm new to the site and new to these tests. Getting ready to use one myself and I'm wondering why you think the inaccurate test would result in an aborted calf? I'm assuming you use AI? Wouldn't the inseminator be able to feel the pregnancy at 4.5 months when doing the rectal palpations?
Yes.

I've learned to hard way to always palp before doing any thing. Its amazing how, what was supposed to be open, can magically be bred. I had a bull jump 2 fences and cross a county road to get with cows and not bend a wire. They definitely have the ability to slip in and out with out any one knowing.
 
Try the Pregnostx test from Biopryn. Valley Vet sells them. Same technology as Biopryn. Has been around for 20 years or so. Same technology as mentioned about but without having to send the sample off and wait.
 
Sorry for the lost pregnancy. I'm new to the site and new to these tests. Getting ready to use one myself and I'm wondering why you think the inaccurate test would result in an aborted calf? I'm assuming you use AI? Wouldn't the inseminator be able to feel the pregnancy at 4.5 months when doing the rectal palpations?
She tested open. I went in hospital for surgery so we never checked her again. A few months after I got out of the hospital we set her up for AI heat sync. So she was pregnant when I hit her with lutilize and it made her abort.
 

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