Endless 2nd season

[livingdownsouth]

Hi, long time lurker looking for some advice please My 18 month old golden retriever has been bleeding now for over 2 weeks. Drops and dribbles really, not gushes. Should I start being concerned?

We will absolutely be having her done after this. It was always the plan after her second season.

2 weeks is on the longer side for the bleeding phase but still within the realms of normal.

As PP says, it's within the realms of normal.

I don't want to throw a spanner into your plans, but the advice in the Hart et al paper of 2020 is that golden retriever bitches should be left intact. Intact status was found to reduce their risk of cancer, other than mammary cancer (by leaving her intact until she's 18 months you've already done her a favour with respect to joint disorders).

You can download the paper here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full The sample size was >100, which is good, but the dogs were drawn from a population in the US which might have significant genetic differences from the population in the UK (though the cancer risk in GRs here is generally accepted to be pretty high).

The other factor to consider is mental and social maturity. I know seasons are a nuisance, and I'm always anxious about the risk of pyometra, but I my two current bitches (not GRs) weren't spayed until they were 4 or 5, because I wanted them to grow up properly first.

Ultimately you have to think about what works for you, your family, your dog and your circumstances, and weigh up the relative impacts on you all.