dog de-sexing

what are the pro and cons if you desex a (female) dog? can you recommend ?

thank you for your reply.

i am more worried about her "days" when she is in the apartment.

If you are not planning to breed from this dog it is definately in her best interests to desex her. While you will have the convenience of her not coming into heat every 6 months, she will avoid getting an infection in her uterus (pyometra) later in life, and will have a greatly diminished risk of getting cancer in her mammary glands/teats(like breast cancer in women). Both of these conditions can be fatal or expensive to treat. I'm not sure of the recommended desexing age in HK, but around 6 months old is good. Speak to your local veterinarian - who I'm sure will recommend desexing.

I have to disagree with the previous post saying a female will become timid and shy if desexed. The personality is much more determined by the training and socialisation you do with her.

1 year old is too late to desex and get the health benefit of decreasing the risk of mammary cancer (as Mishi said) - but it will stop a uterus infection later in life (because the uterus is removed).

There is also health benefits to desexing male dogs.

This is a topic best discussed with your Vet as there are alot of "old wives tales" about desexing which are incorrect.

I would also like to recommend you join the SPCA and have all your vet visits with them - generally much lower costs than a 'normal' vet and also experts in caring for animals.