Heats, breeding and LOF deadlines

Between two litters, the app helps you never miss a heat, enter the progesterone tests done by your vet, date ovulation and the expected whelping, then keep up with the mandatory declarations for a litter registered with the LOF.

Opening a female's breeding follow-up

1. Tap Animals in the button bar and open the female's profile.
2. In the Breeder block, tap Reproduction.

This section only exists for the females of your kennel. The Upcoming heats block on the Homepage also leads straight to it.

The How it works button sums up the principle in a few lines.

Planning the next heats

The Next heat block shows the expected date ("Expected around …", "in N days") and the interval used:

• as soon as two of the female's cycles are known, her own average interval is used;
• before that, the app uses your kennel's default interval (180 days unless you have changed it).

A reminder is sent fifteen days before the expected date to the members who can edit animals, and the females concerned appear under Upcoming heats on the Homepage.

Recording heats

1. On the day the heat starts, tap Heat started today. A cycle opens: the tests will be attached to it.
2. A message offers Cancel for a few seconds in case you tapped by mistake.
3. On the current cycle, Change the date corrects the start of the heat and Delete removes a heat recorded by mistake (the tests are kept).

Deleting is no longer offered once a litter has resulted from this cycle.

Entering a progesterone test

1. On the current cycle, tap Add an assay.
2. Enter the Date and time, the Value and the Unit (ng/mL or nmol/L; it is remembered for the following tests).
3. If you wish, enter the Laboratory / veterinarian and a Note.
4. Tap Save.

Each test appears on the cycle's curve, with the usual thresholds shown as dotted lines.

Ovulation, mating window and expected whelping

Then, two buttons:

• Record the mating (shown once ovulation is confirmed): records the mating (male from the kennel or outside, terms, contract, invoice). See Pedigree and studs.
• Create the litter: creates the litter with the mother, the mating date and the expected whelping already filled in. Once created, the button becomes Open Litter.

If you later correct the ovulation date, the litter's expected whelping is updated. Previous cycles can still be viewed under Past cycles, with their tests and the litter that resulted from them.

Adjusting the usual values

Thresholds vary depending on the laboratory and the vet. To adjust them, open Settings (side menu, Organization section), then under My kennel choose Reproduction:

Back to the usual values restores the default values. Only an administrator can change these settings (see Settings).

Simulating a mating ("What if…")

Before choosing a partner, open the animal's profile, Breeder block, Health & genealogy section, then What if… (mating simulator).

1. Choose a partner of the opposite sex from your animals, or An animal from another kennel.
2. For an outside animal, search for it by LOF number or microchip; if it is not in the app, create it (name, kennel name, LOF number, breed, microchip) then tap Use this animal.
3. The app shows the coefficient of inbreeding (COI) of the future litter, the Common ancestors and the combination of the two animals' DNA statuses (a "carrier × carrier" combination is flagged).

No judgement is made: you have the figures, the decision is yours. Unknown ancestors count as unrelated: the more complete the pedigree, the more reliable the figure. The simulator is included in the paid plans.

LOF deadlines and declarations to the SCC

For a litter registered with the LOF, the app calculates the three administrative deadlines from the dates already entered. Open the litter page, then the LOF litter section.

1. Turn on the LOF litter switch. It is already on when both the father and the mother are registered with the LOF; you can turn it off.
2. Enter the litter's mating date and birth date: the deadlines are displayed.
3. When a declaration has been made, tap the pencil next to the deadline, enter the date and, if you wish, the File number (optional), then tap Declared.

Each deadline has a state: To do, In N days, Overdue or Finished. For identification, the app shows how many puppies are microchipped and lists those without a microchip: tap a puppy to open its profile.

Reminders

• A reminder by email and notification is sent 7 days and then 1 day before each deadline to the members who can edit animals.
• Upcoming or overdue deadlines appear in the To declare (LOF) block on the Homepage.
• The Declare the mating (LOF) and Declare the birth (LOF) steps are automatically placed in the litter's calendar, on the deadline.

Data for the SCC

The Data for the SCC button gathers what the forms ask for: kennel and kennel name, parents with LOF number and microchip, mating and birth dates, number of puppies born and alive, males and females, and the list of puppies. Fields missing in the app are flagged in red. PDF export is included in the paid plans.

Frequently asked questions

I tapped "Heat started today" by mistake.

Tap Cancel in the message that appears, or later tap Delete on the current cycle.

Why is no ovulation date suggested?

No test has exceeded the ovulation threshold in your settings yet. Keep entering the cycle's tests.

Where do I enter an animal's LOF number?

In the edit form of its profile, accessible from the animal's profile (see The animal profile).