At what age does a puppy get its first vaccination in India?

Most Indian clinics give the first DHPPi shot at 6 to 8 weeks of age, once the protection a puppy inherits from its mother has started to fade. Puppies that were weaned early or came from the street are often started at 6 weeks, and the vet may add an extra dose to the course.

When is the rabies vaccine given to a dog in India?

The first rabies dose is usually given at around 12 to 14 weeks, and repeated every year. Rabies is endemic in India, annual boosting is the norm here rather than the three-year interval used in some other countries, and municipal licensing or boarding kennels will often ask to see a current certificate.

What happens if a booster dose is missed?

A dose that is a few weeks late is usually given as soon as the pet is seen. If a long gap has passed, or if the primary puppy or kitten course was never finished, the vet may restart the course rather than continue it. This is a decision for the treating vet, who can see the animal's history.

How often should a pet be dewormed in India?

The common pattern is every two weeks from about two weeks of age until twelve weeks, then monthly until six months, then once every three months for life. Pets that roam outdoors or hunt are often kept on the quarterly schedule strictly.

Dog & Cat Vaccination Schedule in India

The course most Indian clinics follow, written out as a chart — puppies, kittens, adult boosters and deworming, with the rabies timing that differs here from the schedules you will find on American and British sites.

This is a general reference, not a prescription. Your vet sets the actual dates: they vary with the brand of vaccine used, the animal’s health, and whether it is a street rescue or came from a breeder. Bring the card to every visit and let the clinic write on it.

Puppy vaccination schedule

A puppy is protected by antibodies from its mother for the first weeks of life. Those antibodies also block a vaccine from working, which is why the first course is given as a series rather than a single shot — the doses are spaced so that at least one of them lands after the mother’s protection has faded.

Typical primary course, Indian clinics
Age	Vaccine	Notes
6–8 weeks	DHPPi — first dose	Distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza. Some clinics start with a puppy DP shot instead, especially where parvo pressure is high.
10–12 weeks	DHPPi — second dose, plus leptospirosis	Lepto matters in most of India, particularly anywhere with standing water after the monsoon.
12–14 weeks	Rabies — first dose	Often given alongside or a week after the second DHPPi.
14–16 weeks	DHPPi — third dose, plus leptospirosis second dose	The dose that finishes the course. A puppy is not considered covered until roughly two weeks after this one.
From 8 weeks, optional	Kennel cough (Bordetella / KC)	Worth it if the dog will board, be groomed regularly, or meet many other dogs.

Keep the puppy away from unvaccinated dogs and from parks until about two weeks after the final dose. Parvovirus survives a long time in soil, and the gap between the last dose and actual immunity is where most preventable cases happen.

Adult dog boosters

DHPPi + leptospirosis: a booster one year after the puppy course, then annually. Some vets extend the DHPPi component to every three years for a settled adult dog while keeping lepto annual, since lepto immunity is short-lived.
Rabies: every year. India is a rabies-endemic country, so the annual interval is standard here even though some other countries use a three-year vaccine.
Kennel cough: every six to twelve months if the dog boards or is groomed often.

A current rabies certificate is the one you will be asked to produce — by boarding kennels, by municipal licensing in several cities, and by anyone handling a bite incident. It is worth keeping a photograph of it on your phone.

Kitten vaccination schedule

The feline course follows the same logic as the canine one and for the same reason: maternal antibodies have to fade before a vaccine takes.

Typical primary course, Indian clinics
Age	Vaccine	Notes
6–8 weeks	Feline trivalent (FVRCP) — first dose	Panleukopenia, calicivirus and rhinotracheitis. Sold in India as a tricat or trivalent shot.
10–12 weeks	FVRCP — second dose	Feline leukaemia (FeLV) may be added here for a cat that will go outdoors.
12–14 weeks	Rabies — first dose	Recommended for indoor cats too. Cats reach balconies and stairwells, and bite wounds from cats are common.
14–16 weeks	FVRCP — third dose	Completes the course.

Adult cat boosters

FVRCP: a booster at one year, then every one to three years depending on the vaccine used and whether the cat goes outdoors.
Rabies: annually, as with dogs.
FeLV: annually for cats with outdoor access or that live with other cats of unknown status.

Deworming schedule

Deworming is the part most often forgotten, because unlike vaccination it has no card and no certificate attached to it. The usual pattern for both puppies and kittens:

2 to 12 weeks: every two weeks.
3 to 6 months: once a month.
After 6 months: once every three months, for life.

Pets that roam outside, hunt, or live with small children should be kept to the quarterly schedule without slipping. Tick and flea prevention runs on its own schedule and your vet will set it by season and by region.

Common questions

What if we missed a dose?

A dose a few weeks late is usually just given at the next visit. After a long gap, or if the primary course was never finished, the vet may restart the series instead of continuing it — a partly finished course does not reliably protect. Take the card in and let them decide; there is no penalty for asking.

Do indoor pets need vaccinating?

Yes. Parvovirus and panleukopenia travel indoors on shoes and clothing, and rabies exposure needs only one encounter on a stairwell or balcony. The core vaccines are core for indoor animals too.

Is the schedule different for a street rescue?

Often. An animal of unknown age and history may be started immediately, given an extra dose in the series, or tested first. This is exactly the case where the printed chart stops being useful and the vet’s judgement takes over.

How much does it cost in India?

It varies widely by city and by clinic, and quoting a number here would be misleading. Ask your clinic for the price of the full puppy or kitten course up front rather than dose by dose — most will tell you, and it makes the year easier to plan.

For clinics: the reminders are the hard part

Every vet knows this schedule. The part that actually fails is the follow-up — the owner who meant to come back at 14 weeks and did not, and whom nobody rang. On paper records there is no practical way to know who is due this week.

That is the problem Pawra exists to solve. A vet sends a voice note after the visit, and the vaccination and deworming reminders go out to the owner automatically, under the clinic’s own name. We are recruiting our first 25 pilot clinics and the pilot is free.