Puppy and kitten vaccination schedule for India (2026)

Puppy and kitten vaccination and deworming schedule for Indian vet clinics: DHPPiL, anti-rabies, FVRCP, boosters, what to tell owners and keeping recall high.

By AvanceZone team · Published 01 Oct 2026 · Updated 04 Oct 2026 · 9 min read

Every clinic has its own card, and every card drifts a little from the label. This guide sets out a schedule that matches what most Indian small-animal vets use and what the common vaccine brands sold here specify, so you can standardise your clinic's schedule once, load it into software and let reminders do the rest. Adjust intervals to the brand you stock; the label always wins.

A note on clinical responsibility: the schedules in this guide, and the defaults loaded into Pet Clinic Software, are reference starting points written by a software team, not veterinary advice. Species-specific vaccination schedules must be reviewed and validated by a qualified veterinarian at your clinic, who sets the clinic's own protocols.

Puppies: core vaccines

Age	Vaccine	Notes
6 to 8 weeks	DHPPi or DHPPiL (first dose)	Distemper, hepatitis (adenovirus), parvovirus, parainfluenza, with or without leptospira. Many Indian brands start at 6 weeks because parvo pressure is high.
10 to 12 weeks	DHPPiL (second dose)	Include lepto from this dose if the first was DHPPi only.
14 to 16 weeks	DHPPiL (third dose)	Needed because maternal antibodies can block earlier doses. Do not skip this one.
12 to 16 weeks	Anti-rabies (first dose)	Give at 3 months or as the label allows. A single dose; some brands recommend a booster at 1 year.
12 months after the last puppy dose	DHPPiL and anti-rabies booster	Then annually for rabies and lepto; DHPPi core components every 1 to 3 years according to the brand label.

Optional: kennel cough (Bordetella, intranasal or injectable) for dogs that board, attend daycare or go to shows; canine coronavirus is offered by some brands but is not core.

Kittens: core vaccines

Age	Vaccine	Notes
8 to 9 weeks	FVRCP (tricat: herpesvirus, calicivirus, panleukopenia)	First dose.
12 weeks	FVRCP second dose
16 weeks	FVRCP third dose	As with puppies, the last dose after 16 weeks is the one that counts.
12 to 16 weeks	Anti-rabies	Required for boarding and increasingly by housing societies.
12 months later	FVRCP and rabies booster	Then annually for rabies; FVRCP every 1 to 3 years by label and lifestyle.

FeLV is worth offering to kittens that will go outdoors or live with other cats of unknown status.

Deworming runs alongside

Puppies and kittens: every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks, then monthly until 6 months.
Adults: every 3 months, or monthly for dogs on heartworm prevention in endemic coastal areas.
Weigh at every dose. A 4 kg puppy at 8 weeks is a 9 kg puppy at 14 weeks; the tablet count changes.

Record the brand and batch for every dose. Owners ask, kennels ask, and a QR certificate can only show what you recorded.

Adult dogs and cats with an unknown history

Rescued Indies, adopted adults and pets whose card is lost are common in Indian clinics. The usual approach is to treat the animal as unvaccinated: two doses of DHPPiL (or FVRCP for cats) three to four weeks apart, anti-rabies at the first visit, then annual boosters. Deworm at the first visit and repeat in two weeks. Record the history as "unknown" rather than guessing dates, so the schedule in your software starts from a clean, honest baseline.

Loading the schedule into your clinic software

A schedule on a printed card helps one owner; a schedule in software helps every owner. Set it up once:

Create one schedule per species with each dose, the interval from the previous dose and the brand you stock.
Mark which vaccines count for boarding validity (usually anti-rabies and DHPPiL) so certificates and kennel bookings use them.
Decide the reminder window, for example seven days before the due date, and the language each owner prefers.
Import existing patients with their last dose dates so next due dates are calculated for the whole list, not only new puppies.

Pet Clinic Software loads dog, cat, cattle and goat schedules as reference defaults that your vet reviews and edits. See how vaccination reminder software for vets turns the schedule into WhatsApp messages, and how the QR vaccination certificate shows the result to kennels and housing societies.

What to tell the owner at each visit

First visit: the puppy is not protected until a week after the last dose. No parks, no street dogs, no pet shops. Carry, do not walk.
Second visit: explain why the third dose matters even though the puppy looks healthy. This is the dose most owners skip.
Rabies visit: give the certificate. Mention that boarding, grooming and many societies will ask for it.
Annual booster: book the next one before they leave, or at least capture consent for a WhatsApp reminder.

Why recall drops, and how to fix it

Most clinics complete the first two puppy doses and lose a third of owners before the third, then more than half before the annual booster. The animal looks fine, the card is in a drawer, and the clinic's reminder is a phone call nobody has time to make.

Three changes fix most of it:

Schedule from the record, not from memory. When the second dose is recorded, the third is already due in the system with a date.
Remind on WhatsApp, not SMS. A message with the pet's name, the vaccine and a one-tap confirm gets read. Group reminders per owner, so a household with three dogs gets one message.
Make the certificate the carrot. Owners complete the course when the QR certificate they show the kennel turns green only after the last dose.

Pet Clinic Software loads dog and cat schedules as reference defaults for your vet to edit, and sends the reminders on WhatsApp through the AvanceZone gateway. Cattle and goat schedules belong to the separate Farm-vet module for dairy vets. Reminders and certificates come with every plan; see pet clinic software pricing.

Common questions from owners, answered once

"Can we skip the third dose?" No. Maternal antibodies may have neutralised the earlier ones; the dose after 16 weeks is the one that reliably protects.

"My dog never goes out." Parvo and distemper travel on shoes and hands; rabies is a legal and public-health matter regardless of lifestyle.

"Is the Indie puppy different?" Same schedule. Indies are not immune to parvo, whatever the breeder said.

Questions people ask

At what age should a puppy get its first vaccine in India?

Usually at 6 to 8 weeks for DHPPi or DHPPiL, with repeat doses at 10 to 12 and 14 to 16 weeks, and anti-rabies from 12 weeks. Many Indian brands allow a 6-week start because parvovirus pressure is high. Always follow the label of the brand you stock.

How often does an adult dog need a rabies booster?

Annually with most anti-rabies brands sold in India, and boarding kennels and housing societies usually expect a certificate less than a year old. Some labels allow a 3-year interval after the first annual booster; follow the label and any local municipal rules.

How often should puppies be dewormed?

Every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks, then monthly until 6 months, then every 3 months as adults, or monthly where heartworm prevention is needed. Weigh the puppy at every dose because the tablet count changes quickly as it grows.

Which kitten vaccines are core in India?

FVRCP (feline herpesvirus, calicivirus and panleukopenia) at 8 to 9, 12 and 16 weeks, and anti-rabies from 12 weeks, with boosters a year later. FeLV is worth adding for kittens that will go outdoors or live with cats of unknown status.