[jolisey]

My little Sadie just turned 7 months, and I've noticed some blood spotting the last 2 days, so I'm assuming she's in heat. She does seem a bit sleepier than usual, and her genital area seems quite swollen - I understand these things are all normal. I also realize that we have to keep her away from any males - which won't be a problem.

What can I expect? I know absolutely nothing about this (and naively thought I had a few months to read up on it yet!), and am not sure if I need to "do" anything? How long will it last? Will there be a lot of blood? What are "doggie diapers"? (I don't think Sadie would leave them off - she'd likely chew them off and eat them!) How often do they come into heat? We are not really sure if we want to breed her or not: is it a bad idea to let her go into heat a few times and then maybe decide to have her spayed?

Any answers/advice would be appreciated! Thanks,

Wendy-Lee