Thanks very much all.

When you say it depends solely on the dog's metabolism, do you think, if I've had trouble keeping weight ON her until now, it's unlikely that after being spayed she'll be hard to keep the weight off.

I know it sounds awful but because she's so food orientated, I know I can train her with food and because of how difficult it is to keep weight on her sometimes, I can happily feed her as many treats as needed (and it is always within reason) without having to worry.

Thanks all - I have already entered her for B'ham Champ Show on the 11th May, if she's spayed on the 12 April, will the show be too soon?

No it won't be to soon she will be completely over it by then.

I agree. She will be fine for the show.
Weight gain will not be a problem either. Sophie has always been hard to keep weight on and after her spay it is the same. Sophie never gains an ounce. Lucky girl I wish I could say the same for me.

exactly as she has a high metabolism anyway you shouldn't experience a problem with weight gain.

Thanks again guys - what would I do without you lot!!

One thing to remember though is that an anesthetic can cause a dog to lose some coat.

I've never heard of the anaesthetic causing dogs to lose their coat? We neuter dogs every day of the week and see very few side effects or problems. It IS a major op, spaying, but with careful post operative care and gentle, under control exercise most bitches are back to themselves after a couple of days...the problem is then keeping then quiet for the 10 days until the stitches are removed.

Well perhaps its just been my dogs and the people I know in the doggy world then. because over the last 36 years every dog I have had that had a general has then had a moult afterwards and my friend who also shows and breeds has found the same thing.
When I used to have Rough Collies they used to lose enough not to be able to be shown but shorthaired breeds it doesn't show its affect on so badly just lots of loose hairs like at normal moult time.

Stress or upset can cause moulting..perhaps its that?

That's a new one on me too, in 24 years of working in a veterinary surgery I've never heard anyone complain of dogs losing coats after a GA, the only one of my Huskies that isn't moulting at the moment is the one who was spayed last month. The problem we get with the Huskies is that no hair grows back into the shaved areas until the dogs go through a normal moult.