Everyone preceeding me gave you excellent info. I would stress that you should limit strenuous activties, running and jumping, etc. to allow adequate healing time (internal as well as the suture line) for a least 10 days to 2 weeks post op. Not easy with a lab like mine, who was ready to "do it all" from day one! And do try to keep her from licking the incision. As for the skin and coat being affected...never heard of that!! However, horomonal changes in spayed females can cause a type of incontinence (leaking in nature; usually during rest) that is easily treatable with medication. I can't stress the importance of spaying non-breeding females enough. My rescue lab, my lab of a lifetime, Jingles, was adopted without having been spayed first. (It was up to me) I scheduled the appt. immediately, but before the scheduled spay could be done, she developed pyometra, a potentially fatal uterine infection common to unspayed, non-breeding females. She almost died! And female dogs not spayed before 1 year have a far higher rate of breast cancer. Please do it as soon as possible for her health!! I'm sure she'll do great