Two vaccines are non-negotiable in India, and the timing matters more than most first-time pet parents are told. Here is the schedule, the honest cost range at private clinics in 2026, and the cheaper route most people don't know exists.
Vaccine schedules get copied between websites without much thought for local disease pressure. India is not the UK or the US. Two things are genuinely non-negotiable here:
Parvovirus and distemper circulate widely in India and are frequently fatal in unvaccinated puppies. Leptospirosis matters more here than in drier countries because it spreads through water contaminated with rodent urine, which makes monsoon months genuinely risky in most Indian cities.
Everything else, kennel cough, corona, is situational. A dog that boards regularly or goes to daycare has a real case for kennel cough. A dog that doesn't, mostly doesn't.
This follows the 2024 WSAVA vaccination guidelines and the WSAVA recommendations written for Asian practice, adapted to how Indian clinics usually work. Your vet may shift individual dates; the rules that should not move are the final puppy dose at 16 weeks or later, and a complete rabies course.
| Age | What happens | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks (45 days) | Health check and deworming. Many Indian clinics give the first puppy vaccine here. | Baseline weight, parasites, congenital problems |
| 8 to 9 weeks | Core dose (DHPPi) with the first leptospirosis dose | Protection from the mother's milk is fading |
| 11 to 12 weeks | Core dose with the second leptospirosis dose | Leptospirosis needs two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart |
| 12 to 14 weeks | Anti-rabies, dose 1 | Rabies vaccine is not given before about 12 weeks |
| 16 weeks or later | Final puppy core dose | Some puppies keep maternal antibodies until about 16 weeks, which can block earlier doses. This is the dose that counts. |
| 16 to 18 weeks | Anti-rabies, dose 2 | Recommended four weeks after the first dose in high-risk areas, which includes India |
| 6 months (26 weeks) | Core booster | Catches the few puppies that did not respond to the puppy series |
| Every year | Rabies and leptospirosis boosters | Leptospirosis protection is short-lived, and most municipal licences require a current rabies certificate |
The two details most first-time pet parents miss: the puppy series should not end at 12 weeks, and rabies in India is best given as two doses, not one. If a clinic stops at 12 weeks or gives a single rabies shot without booking you back, ask about it directly.
Prices vary enormously between a premium metro clinic and a neighbourhood practice. These are the realistic 2026 ranges at organised private clinics:
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| DHPPi + Lepto (per dose) | ₹600 – ₹1,500 |
| Anti-rabies (per dose) | ₹300 – ₹700 |
| Kennel cough (per dose) | ₹500 – ₹1,200 |
| Consultation fee (per visit) | ₹200 – ₹500 |
| First year, all in | ₹4,000 – ₹10,000 |
Note the consultation fee is charged per visit, and the schedule above needs four to five visits. That is often where the budget quietly doubles. Ask whether your clinic bundles vaccination visits, many will, if asked.
Most pet parents in Indian cities never consider this, and it is the single largest cost saving available. Government veterinary hospitals administer the same core vaccines, often the same manufacturers, at a few hundred rupees a dose or less, rather than thousands for the course.
The trade-offs are real: queues, restricted hours, variable stock, and less time with the vet. A common middle path is government hospitals for routine rabies boosters, and a private clinic for the puppy series where continuity and record-keeping matter more.
An adult dog with an unknown history is not a lost cause. Vets restart with a primary course, usually two doses of the core and leptospirosis vaccines two to four weeks apart plus rabies, then move to boosters. WSAVA guidance allows the core distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus part to be repeated every three years in adults, but leptospirosis and rabies are yearly, so in India most dogs still visit annually. Adopted an adult street dog? Assume nothing is current and start over, it is cheaper than treating parvo.
Annual boosters matter for a second reason beyond immunity: your municipal licence renewal will ask for a current rabies certificate. A lapsed booster can mean a lapsed licence, and in cities like Chennai that carries a fine of up to ₹5,000.
Here is the failure mode we see constantly. The vaccination happens correctly. The paper card goes into a drawer. Eighteen months later the dog needs boarding, or a licence renewal, or lands at an emergency clinic at midnight, and nobody can produce proof of anything.
At that point you are usually re-vaccinating unnecessarily, paying again, and putting the dog through it again. A vaccination that can't be evidenced is, administratively, a vaccination that didn't happen.
This is exactly the problem Pawspert's digital health record is built for, every dose logged with a date, and a QR code any vet can scan to see the full history in seconds.
Between 6 and 9 weeks. Many Indian clinics give the first puppy vaccine at about 6 weeks, others start at 8 to 9 weeks. Doses then repeat every 3 to 4 weeks, and the final puppy dose should be given at 16 weeks or later. Anti-rabies starts at about 12 weeks with a second dose four weeks later.
Yes, in practical terms. Rabies vaccination is a requirement in most municipalities and a current anti-rabies certificate is required to register your dog with your local corporation. India still records a substantial share of the world's rabies deaths, so this is enforced more seriously than other vaccines.
At organised private clinics in 2026, expect roughly ₹4,000 to ₹10,000 for the first year including consultation fees. A single DHPPi+Lepto dose typically runs ₹600 to ₹1,500, anti-rabies ₹300 to ₹700, and consultations add ₹200 to ₹500 per visit.
Government veterinary hospitals offer the same core vaccines at a fraction of private prices, with anti-rabies often free to about ₹200 a dose and combination vaccines a few hundred rupees a dose where stocked. The trade-off is queueing, limited hours, and less predictable stock. Many pet parents use government hospitals for rabies and private clinics for combination vaccines.
It is a single combination injection covering Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza and Leptospirosis. Parvovirus and distemper are widespread in India and frequently fatal in unvaccinated puppies, which is why this shot is treated as core rather than optional.
A private clinic typically charges ₹600 to ₹1,500 per dose of DHPPiL and ₹300 to ₹700 for anti-rabies, plus a consultation fee each visit. With three or four core doses and two rabies doses, the first-year course usually lands between ₹4,000 and ₹10,000. Government veterinary hospitals give the same vaccines for a small fraction of that.
Usually a nominal registration fee plus a low charge per dose: often free to about ₹200 for anti-rabies, and a few hundred rupees for combination vaccines where stocked, and anti-rabies is sometimes free during municipal drives. Availability of specific vaccines varies, so call ahead.
Yes. Many Indian clinics give the first puppy vaccine at about six weeks, often called the 45-day vaccine, while others start at eight to nine weeks. Either way, doses continue every three to four weeks and the last puppy dose should be at 16 weeks or later.
Pehla vaccine lagbhag 6 se 9 hafte ki umar mein, phir har 3 se 4 hafte mein, aur aakhri puppy dose 16 hafte ya uske baad. Rabies ka pehla injection lagbhag 12 hafte par aur doosra 4 hafte baad. Uske baad rabies aur lepto har saal. Sarkari pashu aspatal mein yeh bahut sasta hai.
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