By John L Allinson F.I.B.M.S.
 

After nearly ten years of developing and providing services to dog breeders in the UK, Pearlsyde Analytical Services is passing it’s fertility business on to Idexx Laboratories of Wetherby.

Recently, a change in my career has lead to me spending 80% of my time away from home and maintaining the service quality at the same level as before has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to divest these services in a collaboration with Idexx.

Why Idexx?
Idexx is the leading veterinary diagnostic laboratory in the world (my opinion but an internationally shared view.) I have known the people leading the Idexx operations at Wetherby (previously Grange Laboratories) personally for many years. I have also had other business arrangements with them in the course of my career that have proved mutually successful and we have therefore built up a relationship of trust and respect for each other regarding our knowledge and experience.

Furthermore, in choosing a laboratory to pass my services on to, I have taken into consideration that I am also passing my reputation into their hands to a certain extent as well. With Idexx, I have total confidence in doing this.

However, in addition to my scientific and professional associations with Idexx, it was also important to me to find an individual that would oversee the services that had an in depth knowledge and association with dog breeding. This, I believe, has been the single factor in my services that has separated them from others and made them attractive to dog breeders. - I have the same problems, I understand them (and their effect), and I want to solve them!

In Idexx, I found Larry Roberts – he fits the bill perfectly.

Larry has bred and shown golden retrievers for 25 years under the GLOI affix. He has bred and owned champions throughout the world, including the UK and has been involved in the breeding and showing of livestock all of his life.

The service will be supported by the Clinical Pathology team at Idexx of which includes Larry, and it will be run under his guidance.

Will the results be the same?
I have conducted previously some correlation work with Idexx to compare results and ensure that when the services are transferred, not only do clients receive the same result that I would have supplied, but it is also interpreted in the same way. Most of my clients are aware that my services attracted the really difficult cases over the years – the ones that other people or services failed. Therefore, it is important that my results and interpretation of these cases are accessible to Idexx so that they can share in the knowledge that ten years and some 4000 ovulation cycle results have generated.

Also, vaginal swab microbiology services will also be supplied by Idexx. I always sub-contracted these to a hospital laboratory I used to work in as it was the most cost-effective way of supplying them. Now, Idexx will be able to offer both services from their modern laboratories at Wetherby.

A Brief History
As a GSD breeder under the Pearlsyde affix, I started these services in the early 1990’s. I had just launched a screening programme for the GSD Breed Council to test shepherds for haemophilia ‘A’ when lots of breeders started asking me whether I could offer some sort of test to aid breeding programmes. My whole career has been spent in analytical clinical pathology. Hormone analysis to investigate and help fertility problems have been in use for more than 30 years in humans. Why not dogs then?

In the early days I investigated various methods available. Many breeders often associate my services with the ‘Premate’ test. However, whilst my analysis investigates the same hormone (Progesterone), it is quite different in terms of the procedure and results.

The best of the tests available for measuring progesterone are what we call ‘quantitative’ immunoassays. They can accurately tell us the concentration of the hormone present in very small blood samples. The quantitative part is critical. The first test result not only tells us which part of the oestrus cycle a bitch is in at any given time, but any subsequent results tell us whether the hormone level is going up or down – and also how quickly.

These latter two items of information are not available to non-quantitative tests and in difficult cases they are crucial. They also offer a financial benefit. The classical Premate test is semi-quantitative at best and most users will follow the manufacturers recommendations of repeating tests every 48 hours. With experience and the benefit of accurate concentration results (particularly when they are low) we can easily spread the tests out further. Therefore 48 hours is a minimum but it may be anywhere up to 5 days. Moreover, centralised testing is less expensive since larger workloads mean we get more tests per analytical kit. Indeed I know of some Vet. Practices that buy a premate kit that they may only use for one client – so that client pays for the whole kit!

Sample kits
These will largely be the same. Indeed, clients that have some of Pearlsyde’s kits left can still use them. They do, however, need to replace the address label with one that has Idexx’s address on (see below).

Also remember – this is now a service provided by a much larger business. Therefore, remember to include payment with each sample. Those breeders using the service through their Vet's’(ie the vet is Idexx's client NOT the breeder) need not do this since the Veterinary practice will be invoiced in the usual way.

Results reporting
Idexx would like to streamline the reporting of results with up to date communications! The use of fax or email would be best and therefore ensure you provide this information on the form that you return with your samples. If there are issues or difficulties the good old telephone still exists for clarification or advice.

You’ll also probably get your results sooner than with my service. This is because Idexx can afford large automatic analysers (since they use them for thousands of diagnostic tests as well as progesterone) that use methods that are far quicker than the manual immunoassay technique I used in my laboratory.

Transition
We want the service to transfer in immediately. Pearlsyde and Idexx are working together to make the changeover as smooth as possible for all clients. We are both available to help throughout this transition period.
Farewell…..but not Goodbye
My wife and I have enjoyed working with and for breeders over the years. We will miss the highs and lows we have lived through with you all (highs are definitely better than lows!) We’ve seen and achieved some terrific results with bitches that some of you had despaired with and were often ready to give up on

None of your expectations should change. I have total confidence that this service will continue to provide you with the results you require to help make your breeding programmes a success.

Indeed, I will still be working with Idexx as a consultant for these services because I have a keen interest in them. I hope we can continue to share information that will ensure that the articles I regularly write for the canine press can continue (editors permitting!). Over the years many of you have given me feedback that the information I have given in these articles has been useful, I see no reason why they should stop. Watch this space…

Contact:-
Idexx:-
Larry Roberts, Idexx Laboratories Ltd, PO Box 4, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 7DN
Tel 01937 544000
Email : larry-roberts@idexx.com

Pearlsyde:-
John & Barbara Allinson,Pearlsyde GSD’s, Rose Cottage, York Road, Cliffe, Selby, North Yorkshire. YO8 6NU
Tel 01757 630667
Email : John@pearlsyde.freeserve.co.uk
 

GSD’s & Haemophilia ‘A’:-

Please note : Haemophilia ‘A’  testing still remains at Pearlsyde and continues to be subsidised by the GSD Breed council – Great Britain.

Finally, thanks from my wife Barbara, and myself, to all of you who have used and supported our services over the years. Our continued best wishes for your future for success in your dog breeding.

©John L Allinson FIBMS, March, 2002