Health and vet care
How much are puppy shots? What you pay for
There is no official national price for puppy shots, and fees differ by practice and area. Plan instead for what the first year includes: several combination doses, any extra vaccines your vet advises, rabies where the law requires it, and any exam fees. Then ask each practice for a written quote for the whole course.
Why is there no single price for puppy shots?
Each practice sets its own fees. The total also depends on how many doses your puppy needs, which vaccines your vet advises where you live and whether each visit has an exam fee. We do not quote an average, because we found no official source that publishes one.
In the UK, prices are becoming easier to find. Under the Competition and Markets Authority order, practices must publish prices on their websites for set services. These include a puppy primary vaccination course, boosters and kennel cough vaccination, each with the consultation. GOV.UK gives the compliance date as the next working day after 22 March 2027.
Sources: GOV.UK: What veterinary businesses and vets need to do following the CMA's final vets report (opens in a new tab)CMA: Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, Schedule 1 price list (opens in a new tab)
What do puppy shots include?
The main part is a combination shot against distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, given every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older. In the US, AAHA also counts leptospirosis as core, with two doses 2 to 4 weeks apart from 12 weeks. Rabies follows local law.
Non-core vaccines, such as kennel cough, Lyme disease or canine influenza, depend on your puppy's lifestyle and where you live. Each one adds to the bill, so ask which ones your vet advises and why.
| Item | How many (AAHA, US) | Ask the practice |
|---|---|---|
| Combination shot (distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus) | At least 3 puppy doses, then 1 booster within a year | Is the price per dose or for the whole course? |
| Leptospirosis | 2 puppy doses, then a booster each year | Is it part of the combination shot or separate? |
| Rabies | As local law requires; a booster a year after the first dose | Which local rules apply, and at which visit is it given? |
| Non-core vaccines | Only if your vet advises them | Which ones fit my puppy's risks? |
| Exam or consultation | May apply at each visit | Is the exam charged on top of the vaccine? |
Sources: AAHA canine vaccination guidelines, 2024 update (opens in a new tab)
How many vet visits should I budget for?
Visits matter as much as doses, because some practices charge for each appointment. In the worked example, the US planner shows core viral visits at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. The first leptospirosis dose and the start of the rabies window both fall at the 12-week visit, and a first booster follows a year later.
Worked example
Birth ; US; no core viral doses given
- Visit at 8 weeks
- Visit at 12 weeks, with the first leptospirosis dose
- Rabies window (12 to 16 weeks)
- to
- Visit at 16 weeks
- First viral booster
Dates checked against the Puppy Vaccination Schedule. A planning example, not a booking or a price.
Your vet decides which shots can share a visit. The second leptospirosis dose is due 2 to 4 weeks after the first, so ask whether it can fall on the 16-week visit. Then ask for a quote for the whole course, not just the first visit.
How can I compare puppy shot prices?
Compare like with like. Two quotes can look different only because one includes the exam, an extra vaccine or the booster visit.
- Ask for the whole course
A low first-visit price can hide later costs. Ask for the total for every puppy dose, the booster visit and any exam fees.
- Check what each shot covers
Ask which diseases each shot covers and whether leptospirosis or kennel cough cost extra.
- Ask about care plans
Some practices offer monthly plans that include vaccinations. In the UK, the price list rules also cover the monthly cost of pet care plans.
- Bring the record
Take any earlier vaccination record, so your vet can plan from the doses already given.
Sources: GOV.UK: What veterinary businesses and vets need to do following the CMA's final vets report (opens in a new tab)CMA: Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, Schedule 1 price list (opens in a new tab)
Can I save money by skipping puppy shots?
Skipping or delaying core doses is a poor saving. AAHA links many cases of parvo in vaccinated young dogs to courses that were never finished, and it advises core vaccines for every dog unless there is a medical reason not to give them.
If cost is a worry, say so early. Ask which vaccines are core for your puppy and which non-core ones fit its lifestyle. WSAVA also warns against giving vaccines more often than needed, so a good plan avoids extra doses as well as missed ones.
Sources: AAHA canine vaccination guidelines, 2024 update (opens in a new tab)AAHA canine parvovirus guidance (opens in a new tab)WSAVA vaccination guidelines, 2024 (opens in a new tab)
Try it with your own details
Use the Puppy vaccination schedule to build your own result.
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to your vet before you act.
Common questions
More answers on this topic.
How much are puppy shots?
Prices vary by practice and area, and we found no official national average. Ask for a written quote for the whole course, including exam fees, the booster visit and any extra vaccines.
How many shots does a puppy need in the first year?
In AAHA's US guidance, at least three combination doses, two leptospirosis doses and rabies as local law requires, with boosters about a year later. Non-core vaccines add more.
Are puppy shot prices listed online in the UK?
From the next working day after 22 March 2027, the CMA order requires UK practices to publish prices for set services, including the puppy primary course, boosters and kennel cough vaccination.
Does the first visit price cover the whole course?
Not always. Ask whether a quote is per dose, per visit or for the full course, and whether exam fees are included.
Can I skip non-core vaccines to save money?
Non-core vaccines depend on risk, so ask your vet which ones your puppy needs where you live. Core vaccines are advised for every dog unless there is a medical reason not to give them.
Sources and checked dates
Each note explains what its source supports. Open the link to read the guidance yourself.
Table 2: core vaccines are advised for all dogs unless there is a medical reason not to vaccinate. Distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus (with or without parainfluenza): at least 3 combination doses between 6 and 16 weeks, 2 to 4 weeks apart, a booster within 1 year, then every 3 years. Leptospirosis: 2 doses 2 to 4 weeks apart from 12 weeks, then yearly. Rabies as required by law. Bordetella, Lyme disease and canine influenza are non-core.
Parvovirus vaccine is core for all dogs. The puppy course starts at 6 to 8 weeks and repeats every 2 to 4 weeks until older than 16 weeks, with 18 to 20 weeks preferred in high-risk areas. Maternal antibodies may persist to 13 to 15 weeks or longer. Unfinished courses explain many apparent vaccine failures. Booster within 1 year, then every 3 years.
First published 13 October 2026. Practices must publish a price on their website for each of the 36 defined services they offer, for a standard case, and say prices may rise in complex cases. Compliance date: next working day after 22 March 2027. Gives no vaccination prices.
CMA: Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, Schedule 1 price list (opens in a new tab)
The defined services include vaccinations primary course, vaccinations booster and vaccination for kennel cough, each including consultation, and the monthly cost of pet care plans.
Core worldwide: distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; rabies is core where it is endemic and leptospirosis where it is endemic and suitable vaccines exist. Maternal antibodies vary within litters, so core doses are given every 2 to 4 weeks with the final dose at 16 weeks or older; these repeat doses are not boosters. Antibody testing 4 or more weeks after the last puppy dose, or a dose at or soon after 26 weeks. Early socialisation classes carry low parvovirus risk. Core vaccines should not be given more often than needed.