Dog vaccination schedule for India

The dates follow the 2024 vaccination guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), written for vets worldwide, and its regional report for Asia. Each step comes from one rule:

• First dose at 8 weeks. WSAVA says to start between 6 and 8 weeks, and not before 6 weeks. Earlier than that, antibodies from the mother usually block the vaccine. The window for the first dose is 6 to 8 weeks.
• Repeat doses 4 weeks apart. WSAVA’s text says every 2 to 4 weeks and its table says every 3 to 4 weeks. Four weeks is inside both. The window for each repeat dose is 2 to 4 weeks after the one before.
• The last puppy dose is never before 16 weeks. WSAVA calls this the most important dose, because by 16 weeks the mother’s antibodies have faded in almost every puppy. The window runs from 16 to 20 weeks: WSAVA says 18 to 20 weeks may be better where the risk of disease is high, and its table says to continue to 20 weeks in especially high-risk situations.
• A booster at 26 weeks. A few puppies still have their mother’s antibodies at 16 weeks. WSAVA now advises one more dose at or shortly after 26 weeks (6 months), instead of waiting until 12 to 16 months as older guidelines did. The window runs to 52 weeks, the outer limit of the earlier WSAVA edition. A blood test for antibodies, from 20 weeks of age and at least 4 weeks after the last dose, is an accepted alternative.
• Then no more often than every 3 years. WSAVA says dogs that responded to a modern core vaccine stay protected for many years. Its suggestion is the next dose at 3 years of age.
• Rabies from 12 weeks, a booster a year later. WSAVA says to follow local law and the vaccine label, notes that in some countries the first dose is not given before 12 weeks, and lists a booster at 1 year of age or 1 year after the first dose. After that the interval is yearly or every 3 years, depending on the vaccine and the rules. You choose in the tool.

Status labels. A dose is “overdue” when today is after the last date of its window. If you add the dates of doses already given, the plan continues from your last dose. A late dose is not thrown away: the next dates are counted from the day you can actually give it, and a dose given late at 16 weeks or older counts as the last puppy dose.

Date arithmetic. Dates are counted in whole calendar days from the date of birth, using the calendar on your own device, so there is no off-by-one day from time zones. A birthday on 29 February falls on 28 February in a year that is not a leap year.

This is the plan for a puppy that has had nothing yet, worked out by the same code as the tool above. It is shown here so you can see the pattern before you enter a date.

• Puppy that started late. WSAVA says the number of puppy doses depends on the age at which the series starts. The tool starts with a dose now and keeps doses 2 to 4 weeks apart until one is given at 16 weeks or older.
• Puppy already over 16 weeks. One dose now. WSAVA’s table says a single dose of the core vaccine will likely protect most dogs of this age, although some makers advise two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart. A dose at 26 weeks or later follows. Your vet may choose two doses now.
• Adult dog with an unknown history. WSAVA advises one dose of the core vaccine, plus rabies. A second core dose 2 to 4 weeks later is only advised in high-risk situations such as an outbreak.
• Last core vaccine more than 3 years ago. WSAVA says there is no need to start the series again: one dose is enough. It notes that many vaccine leaflets still advise two doses, with little evidence that this is needed.
• Two-dose vaccines such as leptospirosis. If the second dose is more than 6 weeks late, WSAVA says to assume the first dose gave no protection and start again with two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart.
• Under 6 weeks old. Your vet decides when to start. WSAVA says puppies under 4 weeks are generally not vaccinated at all. The tool shows provisional dates that assume a start at 8 weeks.

Rabies. Rabies is present in India: WSAVA’s Asia report (2015) gave a minimum estimate of 20,000 human deaths a year there. The World Health Organization says dogs cause up to 99% of human rabies cases worldwide. WSAVA says that wherever rabies is endemic, all dogs should be vaccinated to protect both the pets and people, even if the law does not require it. In Kerala, the panchayat rules for a dog licence ask for a certificate from a veterinary surgeon that the dog has been inoculated against rabies. See the Kerala dog licence guide for the current process and fees.

Yearly or every 3 years. This tool shows WSAVA’s minimum for the core vaccine (no more often than every 3 years) and lets you pick a yearly or 3-yearly rabies booster. The reason is that practice in Asia is often more frequent. WSAVA’s report for Asia (2015) says that in many Asian countries the law asks for a yearly rabies vaccine for dogs, that most core vaccines made by national manufacturers carried a 1-year licence, and that most vets in Asia still gave core vaccines to adult animals every year. WSAVA itself says the law and the vaccine label decide, and that where the law asks for a yearly booster, it must be followed. Whether to boost yearly or every 3 years is your vet’s decision, and depends on the vaccine they use. Ask which it is and why.

Leptospirosis. WSAVA calls the dog leptospirosis vaccine core where the disease is endemic, the types of germ involved are known, and a suitable vaccine is available. Leptospirosis is well known in Kerala: the Union Health Minister told Parliament that Kerala had 3,259 confirmed human cases and 209 deaths between 1 January and 5 December 2025, and cases rise with the monsoon. A study of 205 dogs in Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode (140 of them suspected cases) found antibodies in 146 dogs. The commonest type was not one of the two types the authors name as being in the common vaccine, and they asked for newer types to be added to vaccines. Whether the vaccine your vet stocks suits your dog is a question for your vet. This tool treats it as optional and says “ask your vet”.

Brands and prices. The tool names no vaccine brand and quotes no price. Ask your vet for the brand, whether it is a combined vaccine that includes extra parts, and the price.

• Which vaccine to use, its brand, and which diseases the combined vaccine covers.
• When to start, if your puppy is under 6 weeks, unwell, or if your dog is pregnant. WSAVA says to avoid vaccinating pregnant bitches if possible.
• Whether to give a yearly or 3-yearly rabies booster, following the law and the vaccine label.
• Whether your dog needs non-core vaccines (for example for kennel cough) based on how it lives, and whether an antibody blood test can replace a booster.
• What to do after a past reaction to a vaccine. Tell your vet about any.

Nothing here is a dose or a product. The plan is a calendar you can take to the clinic.

It is for healthy pet dogs living in homes. Shelters and rescue kennels follow a faster plan, with core vaccines every 2 to 3 weeks from 4 weeks of age. Dogs that are unwell, pregnant, or on treatment that weakens the immune system, and dogs travelling abroad, need advice from their own vet. The dates are a general guide and do not replace a vaccination record signed by your vet.