# Pregnancy Testing



## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Just wondering...

Has anyone ever used an human pregnancy test for their does? Would it work? It would be very easy for me to get urine from my does, so just wondering if I could do a at home pregnancy test on them that way.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I don't think it would work. You see, the human tests are looking for human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, abbreviated as hCG.

The blood tests used to determine if goats are pregnant looks for Pregnancy Specific Protein B (PSPB).

There is a urine based test that can be used for goats. But you can't buy just one, so while the cost per test is low, you need to buy at least 10, which adds up. It is called Bovipreg. Here is a thread on it. I didn't decide to try it out. There can be false positives with that test if it is done during a certain part of her heat cycle.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I'd like to know this too, but I think because our chemistry is different it may not work the same way.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Stacykins said:


> It is called Bovipreg. Here is a thread on it. I didn't decide to try it out. There can be false positives with that test if it is done during a certain part of her heat cycle.


Thanks for the link - It shows to use only milk or blood serum and to test at 21 days after insemination. So I don't think I can do that one. Darn it. My goats won't have milk at 21 days post and I don't want to draw blood.

I'm going to pick up a human preg test this weekend and check on a doe I know is due this month and one I am unsure of. See what the results are. It would be great if it worked. I can get the tests wholesale for $1.00 a test.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I was about to say -- maybe I should try it on my pregnant does and see if it turns out positive :laugh:

Then again, it may not be a good idea to tell my dad I'm off to buy pregnancy tests ... hmmm ... :crazy:


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

mjgh06 said:


> Thanks for the link - It shows to use only milk or blood serum and to test at 21 days after insemination. So I don't think I can do that one. Darn it. My goats won't have milk at 21 days post and I don't want to draw blood.
> 
> I'm going to pick up a human preg test this weekend and check on a doe I know is due this month and one I am unsure of. See what the results are. It would be great if it worked. I can get the tests wholesale for $1.00 a test.


Weird, when I first heard about bovipreg, there was a section on how urine could also be used for the test. But it seems to have been removed from their website.


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## seren (Jan 28, 2012)

I had a friend and my husband draw blood and sent it to biotracking! Super easy and a low cost compared to not knowing or ultra sounds!


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## LittleGoatGal (Jan 9, 2013)

Let us know how it turns out! Maybe try it on an open doe too!


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## seren (Jan 28, 2012)

LittleGoatGal said:


> Let us know how it turns out! Maybe try it on an open doe too!


I agree that would be cheaper than shipping blood!


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## shibby7 (Feb 20, 2012)

I've heard that the human pregnancy tests won't work because antibodies from goats are used in the human tests.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

there was a thread on here before we were discussing. The short of it was the human preg checks don't work since it's checking for hcg- a human chemistry. Bio Track is the only one I'm familiar with and it's pretty inexpensive. I'm not doing it because I'm not drawing blood until the end of Feb for my yearly testing and by then I should know if everyone is due in the end of march.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Okay, I've done some research online. Yes, the human pregnancy test tests for HCG. Some sites swear that it can work especially the Answer Pregnancy Test. They even provided research from Biology of Reproduction, Vol 28, 517-522, Copyright © 1983 by Society for the Study of Reproduction as their verifier. However when I reviewed the article it was done on a cow and yes it did show up on HCG testing.

I found some other sites that say urine progesterone testing works because all pregnancies the hormone progesterone increases and stays high throughout pregnancy including goats. I went back and did more research on the Bovipreg. It tests the progesterone level and it can be done using urine - http://www.gbs.fi/pdf/Bovipreg-Pdf_PP_English.pdf EDITED: I didn't see the qty minimum only the individual price - Guess you can't buy an individual test.

I looked at biotracking (BioPryn)- It tests a Pregnancy Specific Protein B and you pay the cost of the individual labs. It seems they all use the same ELISA test made for cattle but charge more for when it is done on goats. SO, not sure about the reason behind that.

So here's my thoughts: I am going to try the home pregnancy test on three does - one I know is pregnant, One not pregnant, and one I don't know. I will also try the progesterone tests on all three. And I will try the BioPryn test as a cattle test because it is cheaper and I am a cheapskate lol. And just for fun, I may also try some ole' fashioned pregnancy tests such as the bleach and urine fizz test, the pine sol test, and dandelion test. I'll view all the results. Whichever I like best, I'll continue to use.

Oh, and did anyone know you can draw blood from the tail of a goat. I thought it was usually done at the jugular. Glad to know I can use the tail, I'd hate to rupture the jugular not having done it before.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

mjgh06 said:


> a place to buy them individually instead of the ten at a time - http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/115771637/BOVIPREG.html The individual cost is about the same as the buy 10 cost.


That website says the Minimum Order Quantity is 100 Unit/Unit. So unless I am seeing the wrong thing, you have to order at least 100, you can't order them individually.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Stacykins said:


> That website says the Minimum Order Quantity is 100 Unit/Unit. So unless I am seeing the wrong thing, you have to order at least 100, you can't order them individually.


Thanks for catching that - I looked at the individual price listing and did not see the qty minimum. Went back researched found Preg O Vet - 4 tests for 25.00 http://www.knscanada.com/bio/hepatic_n_gi.php


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

mjgh06 said:


> Thanks for catching that - I looked at the individual price listing and did not see the qty minimum. Went back researched found Preg O Vet - 4 tests for 25.00 http://www.knscanada.com/bio/hepatic_n_gi.php


The shipping and handling charge is $59.99 CAD, which is about 60.95 in USD. Bovipreg is cheaper, when shipping is factored in, since you get 10 tests for 70$ shipped, rather than 4 tests for $84ish.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

WOW...Thanks. That's not on their page. I went to the Price list and it was only $25.00 S&H. As far as I knew CAD was very close to US $ like 1.00 = 1.02. But even at 4 for $50 it is still cheaper per test going Bovipreg.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

For some reason, when I went to check price by adding to cart, even though I selected "For U.S. and Canada" it gave me the international price. You're right, shipping to the U.S. is 25$ CAD.


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## Abra (Aug 11, 2012)

Once you do the testing, can you PLEASE please please share the results?
I would LOVE to know if there was a way to tell other than drawing blood.
I have NO idea, nor desire to draw blood from my girls!
I am personally terrified of needles, and I don't want to stick them with anything!


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## seren (Jan 28, 2012)

Abra said:


> Once you do the testing, can you PLEASE please please share the results?
> I would LOVE to know if there was a way to tell other than drawing blood.
> I have NO idea, nor desire to draw blood from my girls!
> I am personally terrified of needles, and I don't want to stick them with anything!


I would love to know too! I have to have my husband draw blood cause needles terrify my...


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

i would love to know also!!! i have 1 doe im just on the fence about.
also what is the bleach test and dandelion? ive never herd of these before


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

critergiter09 said:


> i would love to know also!!! i have 1 doe im just on the fence about.
> also what is the bleach test and dandelion? ive never herd of these before


Bleach test is 1cup bleach then add 2cc of urine (DO NOT add bleach to urine)
If it starts to fizz and continues or foams = pregnant
If it doesn't do anything or starts to fizz and stops after a minute = Non pregnant
Supposedly this is about 95-97% accurate
My dad used this method for cattle on the ranch when I grew up. Never knew what he was doing till I got older. He said the pregnancy hormones make the acid stronger and makes the bleach fizz longer. I also had a friend who was studying to be a large animal vet and she used this as a research paper and ran some tests. She said it seemed to be very accurate.

Dandelion - you take a bunch about 5 dandelion leaves and place on newspaper, pour urine all over the leaves, wait ten minutes, look at leaves - if there are small blisters kinda reddish on the leaves = pregnant 
if none = not pregnant. Don't know what the accuracy on this one is. My grandma used this when my mom thought she was pregnant.

Pine Sol test I read about online - supposedly if you put urine into pine sol and it changes color = pregnant if no color change = not pregnant.

ADDED - All three of these tests are said to work on humans. I know the dandelion was used on my mom; never used the bleach test on anything but cattle; and never tried the pine sol test.


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## nursehelg (Jul 5, 2012)

So how would you collect goat urine anyway?


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## vlinealpines (Sep 23, 2012)

A jugular stick really isn't that hard or dangerous. Over the years, I have personally done thousands of goats with 14 gauge catheters and with 18 and 21 gauge needles. I have also trained people with no experience to do the same and have never seen anyone rupture a jugular. They can be heamotoma-ed and develop like a big blood blister, but they do heal. Sometimes a little scar tissue will develop. It is a skill well worth learning. If you have someone willing to teach you, go for it! Don't be afraid!
If you want to collect goat urine, change the surface they walk on. At State Fair, where things are routinely tested, the UC Davis vet students walk around with a can-on-a-stick to collect.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

nursehelg said:


> So how would you collect goat urine anyway?


Mine are pretty easy to collect from because they are so friendly. I go out to them first thing in the morning and sit with them while they are laying and have my can or whatever ready. As soon as they get up they pee, so I just hold the can under them. Walah.



vlinealpines said:


> A jugular stick really isn't that hard or dangerous. Over the years, I have personally done thousands of goats with 14 gauge catheters and with 18 and 21 gauge needles. I have also trained people with no experience to do the same and have never seen anyone rupture a jugular. They can be heamotoma-ed and develop like a big blood blister, but they do heal. Sometimes a little scar tissue will develop. It is a skill well worth learning. If you have someone willing to teach you, go for it! Don't be afraid!
> If you want to collect goat urine, change the surface they walk on. At State Fair, where things are routinely tested, the UC Davis vet students walk around with a can-on-a-stick to collect.


I don't have any goat owners around me - closest is at least 2hrs away. And I haven't yet found a vet in my area that know anything about goats or are willing to try to treat unfortunately. The one vet I did finally try that wanted to learn about goats - I had a really bad experience with him because he didn't know anything so I won't use him again. I've watched videos on drawing blood from the jugular and I am still to scared to try it alone. I am thinking about doing it through the tail though. I've heard that can be alot easier.

ADDED - Oh, I got my supplies for some of the tests - bleach, Pine Sol, and dollar store preg tests - will collect urine first thing in AM and see what happens with those tests. I'll look for dandelion in AM as well. I'll post results.


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

Let me say getting up at 5am was not fun.... Also my does were not very receptive to me trying to collect their urine. A lot harder than I thought it would be..lol Fell on my butt several times...lol And because I was still asleep in a walking state I forgot to take video of it all which I really wanted to do. I'll do it again with video and a buck urine as a whatever you call it to have an accuracy test.

Okay, here are the Results - 

Bleach:
Smoky who is pregnant - started to fizz immediately and foamed a little
Flower who I don't know if pregnant - started to fizz immediately and foamed a little
Coco who is not pregnant - started to fizz immediately but no foam

At 20 min check - 
Smoky still fizzing slightly
Flower still fizzing slightly
Coco no fizz

Pine Sol:
No change on any of them but this could be because I bought blue Pine Sol not the basic Pine Sol

Dandelion:
All three at the ten minute mark had small blisters not really red just kinda raised bumps on the leaves but Flower and Smoky had more of them than Coco's

Preg tests - nothing on any of them

My Thoughts - Bleach I think worked really well, Pine Sol could be the type I used and thereby incorrect results, Dandelion was really too close to tell. I guess I'll no for sure when the girls have babies this month.


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## critergiter09 (Jan 4, 2012)

This has got me curious and itching to try the bleach test on my gals. Happy kidding to you and your gals!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using GoatSpot


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

so on the bleach one, it said 1 cup and 2cc of urine (do not add bleach to urine)??? Does that just mean pour the urine into the bleach?


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

clearwtrbeach said:


> so on the bleach one, it said 1 cup and 2cc of urine (do not add bleach to urine)??? Does that just mean pour the urine into the bleach?


Yes, just pour urine into bleach. I've been told the other way could cause a caustic reaction don't know if that really makes since though.


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## Abra (Aug 11, 2012)

I am going to try the bleach test! I wish you did a video too! LoL
If anyone else tries this, with preggo does and non preggo, can you please please let us know!?

Trying to collect urine from my 2 is going to be fun (especially in the ice, snow, and the onset of the horrible wind we have had lately) LoL I wish there was a way for me to try to "make" them pee. LoL


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## vlinealpines (Sep 23, 2012)

Melissa, if you lived closer I would love to help you draw blood!


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## mjgh06 (Sep 4, 2012)

vlinealpines said:


> Melissa, if you lived closer I would love to help you draw blood!


I wish you did. I learn best by seeing it in action first hand. I've heard you can draw blood through the tail web - that may be easier for me too. Just have to do more research on it.


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## MagaFarms (Jan 27, 2016)

What I did was I went out to my goats pen and when she squatted to urinate we had a cup ready. Seems like the easiest way.


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## Meanttobleat (Jan 21, 2017)

So?? Did anyone actually do this? Did it work? I ordered the new P test from emlabs. I only ordered 10, and I have upwards of 40 I think are bred. I want to compare to the bleach test. And see which results give me a positive and determine how accurate the bleach test actually is. That way, with knowledge of accuracy, I should be able to avoid blood draws, or paying 2.50/test. I know it's not a lot when you only have a few goats to do- but when you add it all up, I'd rather spend the extra 5 minutes then have immediate results, than prick my girls, and wait days for results. And it's cheaper. WAY cheaper. A bottle of bleach is less than 2$ and could probably do upwards of 20 tests.. 
Also- I pen breed, so I'm not 100% sure everyone is bred, or if my bucks have just lost interest..


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## Lisalisa89 (Oct 18, 2016)

Following lol I know that one urine test was done on my one doe before I got her and it tested positive when she was in fact not pregnant which was heart breaking becauses she so perfect I wish she would settle a pregnancy.


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