Birthday in, exact DHPP and rabies visit dates out — plus what the series costs
| Visit | Age | Date | What's given |
|---|
Dates assume the common 8/12/16-week plan. If your puppy is already older, past visits show greyed — your vet may compress the spacing of any missed doses. This schedule follows AAHA's 2022 canine vaccination guidelines; your vet tailors the final call, and state law sets the rabies rules.
| Vaccine | When | Cost per dose | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHPP (core) | 6-8 wk start, then every 2-4 wk to ≥16 wk | $20-$60 | Distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvo |
| Rabies (core) | Once at 12-16 wk | $20-$45 | State law; 1-yr booster, then q1-3 yr |
| Bordetella | ~12 wk (single oral/IN dose) | ~$30 | Boarding, daycare, grooming requirement |
| Leptospirosis | 2 doses, 2-4 wk apart (~12 & 16 wk) | ~$35 | Wildlife/standing water; widely recommended |
| Canine influenza | 2 doses, 2-4 wk apart | ~$35 | Daycare and boarding crowds |
| Lyme | 2 doses, then annual in tick regions | ~$35 | Northeast and upper-Midwest ticks |
| Visit subtotal (exam + core) | per visit | $75-$150 | Full-service vet; vaccine clinics run lower |
Schedule per AAHA's 2022 canine vaccination guidelines; costs from MetLife's pet-vaccination cost survey, Chewy's puppy-care pricing, and GoodRx Pet Health. First-year vaccine totals nationally run $150-$800, with roughly $300 common for the core series.
Two core vaccines carry the puppy schedule, and their timing rules are older than most veterinary practices. The calculator applies them to your puppy's birthday and prices the visits.
Visit 1 = birthdate + 8 weeks (DHPP #1). Visit 2 = +12 weeks (DHPP #2, Bordetella, lepto/flu/Lyme #1). Visit 3 = +16 weeks (DHPP #3, rabies — or +12 weeks where the state allows and your vet agrees). Adult boosters = final visit + 52 weeks. Cost = 3 core visits × $110 typical ($75-$150) + lifestyle doses at ~$30-$35 typical each; the vaccine-clinic mode roughly halves the visit fee.
Use the breeder's or shelter's best-guess birthday — a week of uncertainty doesn't change the plan. If your puppy is already past 8 weeks when you adopt, the greyed past visits tell you what should already be done; bring any shot records to the first appointment and the vet restarts or continues the series from there. Tick the lifestyle boxes based on your actual plans: daycare in the future means Bordetella and probably flu, not maybe.
The planner: a puppy born June 15, 2026 gets DHPP #1 on Aug 10, DHPP #2 plus Bordetella and lepto #1 on Sep 7, and DHPP #3, rabies, and lepto #2 on Oct 5. Boosters land on Oct 4, 2027. Full-service cost with Bordetella and lepto: $430 typical ($290-$585); core-only is $330 ($225-$450).
The adoption at 14 weeks: a shelter puppy already had DHPP at 8 and 12 weeks per its record. The remaining visits: the 16-week finisher with rabies, then boosters a year later. Two visits instead of three — the calculator shows the missed ones greyed so you can sanity-check the shelter paperwork against what should have happened.
Two core vaccines cover every puppy. DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus) starts at 6-8 weeks and repeats every 2-4 weeks until at least 16 weeks — the common vet schedule is 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Rabies is given once at 12-16 weeks (state law sets the minimum age; most vets give it at the 16-week visit). A booster for both comes one year after the final puppy dose, then rabies every 1-3 years and DHPP every 3 years for life.
Expect $75-$150 per visit including the exam, and about three core visits in the puppy series: $225-$450 total, around $330 typical for DHPP and rabies alone. Adding lifestyle vaccines (Bordetella about $30, lepto and influenza about $35 per dose, two doses each) brings a fully-loaded first year to roughly $430 typical. Nationwide, first-year vaccine bills run $150-$800 depending on region and what your vet recommends. Low-cost vaccine clinics beat full-service exam pricing when you don't need the workup.
Before about 6 weeks, antibodies from mother's milk block vaccines — that's why breeders and shelters hold the first DHPP until 6-8 weeks. After the series starts, the 2-4 week spacing keeps protection continuous as maternal antibodies fade. The 16-week finish line exists because a few puppies still carry maternal antibodies at 14 weeks; a dose at 16 weeks or later guarantees the series took. Going later than 20 weeks just delays socialization for no immunologic gain.
Before the series finishes, carry your puppy in public or let them explore fenced areas you know are clean — the socialization window (through roughly 14-16 weeks) is too important to waste, and parvo risk is manageable with sense. Full dog parks, groomers, and daycare wait until the series is complete at 16 weeks plus whatever lag your vet advises, and most facilities require Bordetella and often canine influenza on file. Rabies is usually required for licensing and for any facility stay.
These are lifestyle vaccines, decided by exposure. Bordetella (kennel cough): yes if boarding, daycare, dog parks, or grooming are in your future — most facilities require it. Leptospirosis: recommended in most of the country now, especially wet climates and anywhere wildlife or standing water are around; AAHA's 2022 guidelines treat it as widely recommended rather than strictly optional. Canine influenza: same facilities that require Bordetella. Lyme: northeast and upper-Midwest tick country, per your vet's read.
One year after the final puppy dose — the 16-week visit plus 52 weeks, around 68 weeks of age — your dog gets a DHPP booster and a rabies booster. After that, DHPP repeats every 3 years. Rabies repeats every 1 or 3 years depending on your state's law and which product your vet stocks; the 3-year product is standard after the first booster in most states. Miss a rabies booster and some states reset you to a 1-year certificate.