The bleeding during a female dog's heat cycle usually lasts between 10 and 14 days, so if she continues to bleed it would be a good idea to have her checked over by a vet. Especially if it still seems to be an excessive amount. Also, if her demeanor changes or she becomes lethargic have her checked also.

In regards to having her desexed, firstly I think it's a great idea It reduces her risk of things like mammary cancer and also removes the risk of ovarian cancer as well as other things. The vet clinic that I work at (I only do some work from home since having DS though) generally recommends waiting a couple of months after her heat cycle has finished before having her desexed. There's no risk of pregnancy still because she's not going to come back into heat for another 6 months. The reason for waiting is because during her heat cycle her female bit become rather swollen and the blood suplly to them is hugely increased. Waiting a couple of months gives her time for everything to shrink back down to normal size and she'll have a reduced blood supply in the area. The reason we prefer not to desex without waiting in because there is an increased risk to the dog. She would need a bigger incision in order to remove larger organs, and also the amount of blood loss is much greater (as the organs that are removed have blood in them).

With regards to the cost of surgery... Hmmm, well I watched a program on one of those TodayTonight/A Current Affair type shows, and I was appalled at how the presented the information about the differences in costs of desexings. Ok, so yes, there are definitely some clinics that will cost more/less than others. But the program didn't look into the reason that some of the quotes they were given were much higher or lower than others. There are questions that you should definitely ask including:
~ Cost
~ Does the cost involve pain relieve for your dog? Your dog should receive some kind of pain medication either before/during/after surgery, and sometimes some to take home (but not always depending on the drugs used)
~ Does the cost involve having your dog put on and IV drip? Some clinics offer this, others don't. We always recommend it as any anaesthetic drops blood pressure, which can have detrimental effects on other organs. The IV drip maintains their blood pressure, and also helps them recover faster after surgery.
~ Is the dog given a pre-medication before surgery? We give a pre-med which has some sedation as well as pain relief before the dog goes into surgery. It helps them remain calm when inserting the catheter used for the IV drip and anaesthetising, and also ensures that they have pain relief that's working as soon as they wake up.
~ Does the cost involve pre-anaesthetic bloods? These aren't always necessary, especially in a young and healthy dog, but can always be done to rule out any health problems your dog may have that is not yet showing symptoms. It's more likely to be recommended in older dogs, or dogs with previous health issues, but occasionally it will show up a serious condition in a young dog that may not have been found until much later, but that can be treated early. I'd never push it on someone with a young dog, but if money is no issue then it can provide piece of mind.

Hmm, there could be more that I'm forgetting, but that's the main stuff.

I hope I haven't bombarded you with too much info Good luck with everything.

Oh, and in regards to pain afterwards, my clinic always tells owners that if they think their dog is in pain the next day and onwards, that they can come back for pain medication. I think I've only seen one person come back for them (and it was a sooky little poodle/maltese type dog ). Most people find it hard to keep their dogs on "bed rest" because the dogs just want to get back to normal