Last August, a couple walked into my clinic in Dehradun carrying a six-week-old Labrador wrapped in a bath towel. The puppy — they had named him Bruno — was limp, eyes sunken, tongue almost grey. Bloody diarrhoea. That sour, metallic parvo smell anyone who has spent time in small animal practice will tell you they can identify with their eyes shut.
He didn't make it. We tried. Three days on IV fluids, antiemetics, the whole protocol. But the breeder had sold him at five and a half weeks — illegally early — with one fake vaccination card and a confidence that should have made the family suspicious. His little immune system simply never had a chance.
I'm not telling you this to scare you. I'm telling you because that family had done what most first-time pet parents in India do. They trusted the breeder. They assumed "vaccinated" meant "protected." And nobody — not the breeder, not the friend who recommended him, not Google — had bothered to walk them through what an actual puppy vaccination schedule looks like in our country.
So that's what I want to do here. Seven years of treating puppies in north India, monsoon parvo outbreaks every single year, more parents in tears than I would like to count. Here is what you actually need to know.
Why India is different
If you read American or British vet blogs, they'll quote you the WSAVA guidelines and tell you three core puppy shots are plenty. That works for them. It does not entirely work for us.
The disease pressure here is high. Parvovirus is endemic in Indian soil. Distemper still pops up despite vaccination. Our stray dog population means your unvaccinated puppy is one sniff away from a virus their body cannot fight off yet. And our climate — warm and humid for half the year, dusty for the other half — keeps these viruses viable in soil and faeces for months.
So most Indian small animal vets, including me, follow a schedule that runs a little more aggressive than the international protocols. One extra booster. Leptospirosis added because of monsoon flooding. Coronavirus where local incidence is high. This is not over-vaccinating. It is reading our environment.
The schedule I follow in my clinic
Two things to keep in mind before I list it out.
First, this is what I do. Other vets may push the second shot a week earlier, drop Coronavirus entirely, or wait till sixteen weeks for rabies. Talk to your vet, look at your local conditions, decide together.
Second, the schedule starts at six to eight weeks. If a breeder is offering you a puppy younger than that, walk away. I don't care how cute he is, what the deal is, or what story the breeder spins. Six weeks minimum. Eight is better. A puppy needs his mother and his littermates till then, full stop.
Six to eight weeks — first DHPPi
This covers Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza. Sometimes given as a 5-in-1 (DHPPi + Coronavirus), sometimes 7-in-1 (DHPPiL + Coronavirus, where L is Leptospirosis). In Dehradun and most of north India I prefer the 7-in-1 because Lepto is no joke during our monsoons — it can transfer to humans too, and we still see cases every year.
Common brands you'll see in the cold chain: Nobivac (MSD), Vanguard (Zoetis), Canigen, Eurican. They're all reliable. Just make sure the vial is from a properly maintained refrigerator. Ask your vet to show you the vial and the expiry before they draw the dose. I have had pet parents bring me cards where the puppy was supposedly vaccinated with a brand that has been off the Indian market for two years. You would be surprised.
Cost in 2026: ₹600 to ₹1,200 per shot in most metros. A bit less in tier-two cities.
Nine to eleven weeks — second DHPPi (booster)
Same vaccine, same coverage. People always ask me why we have to do it again.
It's because of maternal antibodies. When a puppy nurses from his mother, he gets her immunity through the colostrum — the very first milk. These antibodies protect him for the first weeks of life, but they also block vaccines from working properly. As the maternal antibodies wear off (and we don't know exactly when in any given puppy), we boost. It is not the vet trying to inflate your bill. It is basic immunology.
I have had clients argue with me about this. "Doctor, last time you only gave us one shot for our older dog." I'll bet you a samosa their older dog had three. People forget.
Twelve to fourteen weeks — third DHPPi + first anti-rabies
The third puppy shot. And, finally, the first rabies vaccine.
Rabies is non-negotiable in India. It's not just for your dog's protection. India still has the highest human rabies death rate in the world, mostly from dog bites. Vaccinating your dog is part of how we as a country bring those numbers down. The anti-rabies vaccine is also legally required for dog licensing in most Indian municipalities — Dehradun, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, all of them. You will need the certificate for boarding, travel, sometimes for the landlord, sometimes for the housing society uncle who decides he doesn't like dogs.
Brands: Defensor (Zoetis), Nobivac Rabies (MSD), Raksharab (Indian Immunologicals). Costs ₹250 to ₹600 per dose.
One thing — if your puppy reacts to the rabies shot with mild swelling at the injection site, slight lethargy, or a low-grade fever for a day, that is normal. If he stops eating for more than a day, vomits repeatedly, or his face swells, call your vet. In seven years, I have seen maybe four genuinely concerning reactions. Rare, but real.
Sixteen weeks — Kennel Cough (Bordetella)
This one is optional. Only consider it if you are planning to board your puppy, take him to multi-dog parks, or send him to daycare. Skip otherwise. The intranasal version (drops in the nose) works faster than the injectable.
One year — full annual booster
Repeat the core combination (DHPPi or DHPPiL + Rabies). After this, yearly boosters for life.
Some vets are starting to move to three-yearly DHPPi boosters for adult dogs based on antibody titre testing. The science supports it for many dogs. Talk to yours about whether titres make sense for you. They cost more upfront, but you may end up vaccinating less.
Deworming, because I always get asked
A puppy can be perfectly vaccinated and still die of a heavy worm load. Deworming runs alongside vaccination. It doesn't replace it.
My standard protocol:
• Every 15 days from two weeks till three months
• Once a month from three to six months
• Every three months for life after that
I use a rotating mix of pyrantel-pamoate, fenbendazole, and praziquantel-based dewormers. Don't just buy the same one off Amazon every time. Worms develop resistance the same way bacteria do.
The five mistakes I see every single week
After this many years I can almost predict which mistake a new pet parent has made before they finish their sentence. Here they are.
1. Taking the puppy outside too early. No walks, no parks, no carrying him to the chai stall "just for fun" until at least one week after his third DHPPi. I know, I know, you are excited. I get it. But parvo lives in soil and faeces for months. One sniff of an infected patch and we are back to Bruno.
2. Trusting the breeder's vaccination card without verification. Get the actual vial label, the batch number, the expiry. I have seen forged cards. Multiple times. If the breeder gets defensive when you ask, that itself is your answer.
3. Skipping shots because the puppy seems fine. The puppy seems fine because the vaccines are working. Until they aren't — because you skipped a booster.
4. Giving the rabies shot too early. Indian regulations and most vaccine manufacturers list twelve weeks minimum, often sixteen for a reliable immune response. If your vet wants to give rabies at six weeks alongside the first DHPPi, get a second opinion.
5. Not deworming alongside vaccination. A puppy with a heavy worm burden does not respond well to a vaccine. We deworm first, vaccinate a few days later. Always.
The honest cost conversation
A complete puppy vaccination plus deworming course in 2026, done properly at a reputable clinic in an Indian metro, will run you between ₹4,000 and ₹7,500 for the first year. That covers all DHPPi shots, rabies, deworming, and consultation fees. For a fuller breakdown across dogs, cats and other pets, see our pet vaccination cost guide.
Yes, you can find vets who'll do it cheaper. Some are good and have low overhead. Some are cutting corners on cold chain or using grey-market vaccine. The way to tell? Ask to see the vial before injection. A vet with nothing to hide will show you happily. One who hesitates — go elsewhere.
If money is genuinely tight, government veterinary hospitals in most Indian states offer free or subsidised anti-rabies shots. Look up your state's animal husbandry department website. Also, the bigger NGOs run free vaccination drives a few times a year. In Dehradun there's People for Animals; Delhi has Friendicoes; Mumbai has World For All. Their drives are usually announced on Instagram a couple of weeks ahead.
One last thing
I have an indie at home named Phoolwati. She is eleven now, deaf in one ear, prone to dramatic sighing when I get home late from the clinic. She has been on every booster on schedule since she was eight weeks old. She has never been seriously ill in her life.
That is not luck. That is a vaccination schedule and a lot of attention from a paranoid vet-dad.
You don't need to be paranoid. You just need to follow the schedule, ask questions, and find a vet who treats your questions as a sign you care rather than as an inconvenience.
If you have just brought a puppy home, congratulations. Take a photograph today. They grow up much faster than anyone tells you, and you will thank yourself for it later. And if you ever notice something that worries you between visits, our pet emergency guide will help you judge when it's time to act.
Dr. Atul Uniyal completed his BVSc from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, and runs an animal veterinary practice in Dehradun. He has spent years treating puppies through north India's seasonal disease outbreaks and writes to help new pet parents start their dogs' lives on the right foot.