Lilly the lab

Question
hi, i hope you can help, we have a 11 month old Black lab called Lilly, we were hoping to breed her for one litter and allow her to be a mum, we have had the worst two weeks ever, she has been bleeding and as well as working shifts, my husband and I have realised that we have been very stupid and maybe a little selfish in thinking that she NEEDED to be a mum, we have seen sense and i don't want to sound irresponsible, i love her with all my heart but i really need to get her spayed, when can i have her spayed? Lilly is in thethird week now of her heat and she does not leave my side, i also have a full time babysitter!! The quicker i can have her spayed the better. Thankyou for your time and consideration and again i really am a sensible dog owner but i was a little sidetracked when i saw what a beautiful mum she would make;-) kind regards Lisa McDonald

Answer
Dogs do not need to be mothers.  And labs are not mentally mature to handle litters until they are over 2 years old...plus they need to be fully health certified on their hips/elbows/eyes/heart.  There is no telling if your dog would have made a great mother.  Young mothers often don't know what to do and the owners find themselves doing much of the work.  

You are wise to have changed your mind about breeding your dog.  You can spay her in about a month.  Call your vet now, tell them you have a week left of her heat, and then they will tell you when you can bring her in.

No worries though, actually many breeders feel it's healthy for a dog to go through one heat cycle before spaying.