I have worked as a vet technician for about 8 years and have assisted in countless spays including while the female was in heat (I worked as the tech at our local SPCA for 2 years so I've actually seen it done alot) so here's what I know: You can have her spayed while she's in heat (although some vets won't do it, in my experience many will) but you are most likely going to be looking at the surgery costing you more $. I'm not 100% sure, but as far as I know being in heat while being spayed does not cause any added risk. The vet I worked for the longest was extremely dedicated to his work and went above and beyond in his continuing education and was always UTD on the latest medical advances and he would do it, although he would usually recommend waiting till the heat cycle was over for the following reasons: It will be a slightly more difficult surgery for the vet because (I'm gonna try not to be too graphic here) the fallopian tubes(hope I spelled that right lol) will be enlarged and there will in general be significantly more blood flow to the entire area. Any good veterinarian will be able to perform the spay, but it will take more time and require the dog to be under anesthesia that much longer which will require more time, effort and expence to the vet which will obviously cost you more money. So, having said all that, you're probably better off waiting BUT since you said it took a month just to get the appointment and you want to have her around other dogs (possibly un-nuetered males?) and you don't feel like you can wait till they fit you in again, it is ok to do it now. Just let your vet know before hand to make sure he's ok with doing it and if extra cost is a concern for you, ask about that upfront too. Hope this helps, and please know, I'm in no way claiming to be an expert here, I just saw your post and since I have schooling and lots of experience as a vet tech, I figured I'd try to help based on my knowledge. Best wishes and if you have any questions based on what I've told you, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to help to the best of my knowledge
