Answer

Hi,
Simone there. Well, you're in the right time fos spay your little girl, and in my opinion is the best thing you can do, if you're not interested in breeding.
Spaying before the first heat is a good choice, because you reduce to almost zero the incidence of mammary tumors in the aged female dog, and will free you from the heat "side effects":a lot of male dogs under your door, dripping in your home, etc etc. Usually she will not get fat or change character.
I will place a link to a good article below: check it for a more detailed information. If anything is not clear feel free to post more messages under this question!
Usually this surgery last a few minutes (15-30, depends on the skills of the surgeon) and done in a day hospital manner: you let the dog in the morning and in the evening you have it back with just a couple of suture points on the belly and perfectly awake, with no pain.
Have a nice day!

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=926

Expert:	Mountains S.
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
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Answered:	3/31/2008

Dog Veterinarian

Nutrition, minimally invasive surgery and endoscopy. PhD degree, 10 y experience