Vaccination and deworming: an overview for new owners

This page explains the ideas behind a vaccination and deworming plan so the conversation at your vet’s clinic makes sense. It is not a schedule to follow on your own.

Core vaccines: what every dog and cat should have

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) publishes global vaccination guidelines. Its 2024 edition defines core vaccines as those all dogs and cats should receive, taking into account their lifestyle and where they live or travel.

WSAVA says rabies vaccination should be treated as essential wherever rabies is endemic, even where no law requires it. Vaccines outside the core list are non-core: recommended for particular animals depending on location and lifestyle after a conversation between vet and owner.

Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.

Why puppies and kittens get several doses

Young animals carry antibodies from their mother. These maternal antibodies interfere with most core vaccines given early in life, and the amount varies widely within and between litters. So WSAVA recommends giving puppies and kittens several core vaccine doses every 2 to 4 weeks, with the final dose at 16 weeks of age or older, and a further dose at or after 26 weeks to catch the few animals whose maternal antibodies were still interfering at 16 weeks. If cost means only one dose is possible, WSAVA says it should be given at 16 weeks or older.

Illustration only: a puppy first vaccinated at 8 weeks, with doses every 4 weeks, would be vaccinated at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, then again at or after 26 weeks. Your vet may start at a different age or use different intervals.

Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.

Adult dogs and cats

WSAVA states that vaccines should not be given needlessly, and core vaccines should not be given to adults more often than necessary. Its guidelines cite evidence that most modern modified-live core vaccines protect for many years, while most non-core vaccines protect for about a year. It encourages a regular health check, usually yearly, that is about much more than injections. WSAVA also supports antibody (serology) testing in some situations, which your vet may suggest to confirm protection or to help decide when an adult needs revaccinating.

Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.

Rabies: why it matters at home

The World Health Organization describes rabies as a serious public health problem mainly in Asia and Africa. Dogs are responsible for virus transmission in up to 99% of human rabies cases, and once symptoms appear the disease is virtually always fatal. WHO calls vaccinating dogs the most cost-effective way to prevent rabies in people. That is why rabies vaccination for your pet protects your family and neighbours as well.

If a person is bitten or scratched by an animal that might have rabies, WHO advises washing the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and seeking medical care straight away.

Source: WHO rabies fact sheet. Checked 26 October 2026.

Deworming in a tropical climate

The Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) writes parasite guidelines for veterinarians in tropical countries, where worms spread more readily. Their general recommendations are:

• Puppies: deworm every two weeks until 8 weeks of age, then monthly. Treat the mother at the same time.
• Adult dogs: monthly deworming in the tropics, more often in some situations your vet will judge.
• Kittens: treat for roundworms from 3 weeks of age and every two weeks until 10 weeks; where kittens live outdoors, start hookworm treatment at 2 weeks. Treat the nursing mother at the same time.
• Adult cats: deworm regularly; cats that roam outdoors, are free-roaming or live in catteries are at higher risk and should be dewormed monthly.
• Whole household: treat all the dogs and cats in a home at the same time, and pick up faeces daily.

TroCCAP also recommends faecal tests for parasites at routine puppy visits. The product, dose and interval for your pet should come from your vet, based on age, weight and lifestyle.

Sources: TroCCAP canine worm guidelines (tropics); TroCCAP feline worm guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.

Ticks and fleas are part of the plan

TroCCAP advises that dogs and cats in the tropics be protected from ticks, fleas and other external parasites throughout the year. Some concentrated tick products made for dogs are toxic to cats, so always use a product your vet recommends for the species and weight. More in our heat, ticks and monsoon guide.

Source: TroCCAP tick and flea guidelines (tropics). Checked 26 October 2026.

Keep the paperwork

Ask for a vaccination card or certificate after every visit, and keep deworming dates with it. Breeders in India are required to give buyers the pup’s vaccination and deworming dates in writing under the Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017; bring those to your first vet visit.

Source: Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017. Checked 26 October 2026.