Noninvasive Measurement of Fecal Progesterone Concentration in Toy Poodles by Time Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA)

Progesterone is an important reproductive hormone and measurement of its level by repeated blood samplings is beneficial to monitoring of estrus cycle. However, since toy poodles have a small body size and thin-walled blood vessels, repeated blood samplings cause stress and affect their preparation for mating or artificial insemination (AI). Therefore, a noninvasive method for monitoring progesterone concentration should be developed. Here, we show that time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TF-RIA) is a useful noninvasive method for determining the progesterone concentration in serum and fecal samples obtained from toy poodles. Present results demonstrate that progesterone concentrations in the fecal correlated with the serum collected in same time and the sequential changes in progesterone concentrations in the feces are paralleled in the serum. Therefore, this technique may be suitable for monitoring the estrus cycle in toy poodles.