Rabies Vaccine for Dogs & Cats in India: Schedule and Price

Rabies vaccine schedule for dogs and cats

The government's poster puts it in five words: vaccinate your pets against rabies every year. In practice:

That's the whole rabies schedule. The full puppy and kitten plan, with the other core vaccines, is in the puppy and dog vaccination schedule and the cat vaccination guide.

Rabies vaccine for puppies and kittens: when is the first shot?

At about 3 months (12 weeks). In younger puppies and kittens, antibodies from the mother's milk can block the vaccine, so an earlier shot may not work. Three months is the age international vaccination guidelines use as well. If your vet gave an early shot, for example after a bite, they'll still give one at or after 3 months.

Missed the yearly booster?

It's the second mistake Dr. Vikas sees, after the panic over harmless scratches: “Not all pet parents, some of the pet parents” let the yearly booster lapse. Book it this week. Your pet doesn't need to restart anything, but there's a gap in protection until the shot is given. And if your pet is bitten during that gap, the treatment gets much bigger (see the street-dog section).

How long does the rabies vaccine last in dogs?

In India, plan on one year. Some vaccine leaflets say three years. The government's advice is still yearly, and municipal registration, boarding kennels and airlines all work on a one-year validity. Follow the next-due date your vet writes on the card.

Rabies vaccine for cats: does an indoor cat need it?

Yes. The government's advice is every pet, every year, and the schedule is the same as for dogs: the first shot at about 3 months, the next a year later, then yearly. Cats cause about 2% of human rabies in India, and community cats that roam, hunt and fight are real exposures.

Indoor cats still slip out of the door, meet a street cat on the balcony, or need boarding. Boarding kennels and airlines will ask for the certificate either way.

Check your pet's next rabies booster date

Enter the date of the last rabies shot from the vaccination card. You'll see the next due date, and you can add a reminder to your phone's calendar.

Rabies vaccine side effects in dogs and cats

Most pets have no reaction at all. When there is one, it's usually mild and gone within a day or two.

Normal in the first day or two

• Soreness or a little swelling where the injection went in.
• Being quieter or sleepier than usual.
• Eating a little less.
• A mild fever.

Let your pet rest. If it isn't back to normal after two days, call your vet.

A small lump where the injection went in

A small, firm lump under the skin can appear and usually goes on its own within a few weeks. Show your vet if it's still there 3 months after the shot, is bigger than 2 cm, or is still growing 1 month after the injection. That rule matters most in cats: very rarely, a tumour can develop at an injection site.

Reactions are a little more common in small dogs and when several vaccines are given at one visit, a pattern a study of 1.2 million dogs found. If your pet has reacted before, tell your vet: they may space the vaccines out or ask you to wait at the clinic for a while after the shot. A reaction is uncommon and almost always mild. Rabies is fatal.

Rabies vaccine price for dogs and cats in India

As of September 2026, a single rabies vaccine for a dog or cat at a private clinic costs about ₹500–800, or ₹700–1,000 with the visit fee. At a government veterinary hospital it's usually free. These are Dr. Vikas's figures for the Chandigarh tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula):

In Delhi NCR and Mumbai, expect roughly 1.5 to 2 times those prices. Municipal and NGO camps, often held around World Rabies Day, are another way to get a pet vaccinated for little or nothing.

Look at rows one and three together. A yearly shot costs about as much as a family dinner out. Skip it, and a single fight with a street dog turns into a five-dose course at roughly five times the price, plus three months of watching your pet.

For people, the anti-rabies vaccine is free at government hospitals. If you've been bitten or scratched, here's what to do after a bite.

Dog bitten by a street dog: rabies vaccine schedule after the bite

It happens on the evening walk. A pack defends its lane, your dog ends up underneath, and you walk home with a puncture on its neck and your heart racing. Or your cat comes back from the terrace with a torn ear.

Dr. Vikas doesn't play this down. A street-dog bite is “probably the highest-risk exposure” a pet can have. If your pet's rabies shots are up to date, though, it's mostly a wound problem, not a rabies problem. Here's the order:

1. Protect yourself first. A hurt, frightened pet can bite, even yours. Use a muzzle or a looped towel for a dog, and wrap a cat in a thick towel. Wear gloves if you have them.
2. Wash the wound with soap and plenty of running water for at least 15 minutes. No chilli, turmeric or oils. पहले साबुन applies to pets too.
3. Note what you can about the other animal. Where it happened, what it looked like, and whether it's a known local dog. A feeder, the RWA or the society guard may know whether it has been vaccinated (many community dogs are, under the ABC programme), and can tell you if it falls ill over the next 10 days.
4. Call your vet the same day, with your pet's last rabies vaccination date in front of you.

What happens next depends on that date. This is what Dr. Vikas does in his own practice. India has no single official schedule for pets, so your vet may vary it:

Afterwards, his advice is to watch your pet for up to three months. Strict confinement isn't always needed once the course is under way. Watching is what matters. Any change in behaviour, eating, swallowing, walking or voice, and “seek a vet even in doubt”. Mention the bite when you call.

That table is the best argument for the yearly shot. For an up-to-date pet, a street-dog bite means one or two vet visits. For an overdue or unvaccinated one, it means five visits, about ₹4,000 in the tricity, and three months of watching.

Then deal with the wound itself

Bite wounds look small on the surface while the damage and bacteria sit deep. Cats often form abscesses: a swelling that appears two or three days later, with fever and a cat that won't eat. Most bite wounds need a vet to look at them, whatever the rabies status.

A video appointment is a quick way to have a vet look at the wound and check the vaccination card with you. They'll tell you whether your pet needs a clinic tonight or tomorrow morning.

Rabies vaccination certificate for dogs and cats

Without a certificate, you can't prove your pet was vaccinated. It's the first thing Dr. Vikas asks to see when a family is worried about a scratch, and the first thing a doctor asks about if your pet bites someone. Your municipal corporation, housing society, groomer, boarding kennel and airline will all ask for it too.

What a proper certificate shows

• Your pet's name, species, breed, sex, age and colour or markings
• Microchip number, if your pet has one
• The vaccine's name and manufacturer, and the batch or lot number (most vets stick the vial's peel-off label on the card)
• The date given and the next due date
• The vet's name, signature and registration number, and the clinic stamp
• Your name and address

If yours is missing the batch number or the vet's registration number, ask for them at the next visit. Those are the two gaps that get a certificate rejected.

Where you'll need it

Municipal pet registration. Many municipal corporations require dog registration, and it usually needs a valid anti-rabies certificate. Rules vary, so check your own corporation's.

Housing societies. Many RWAs ask for proof of vaccination. Keep a photo on your phone.

Boarding, daycare and grooming. Almost all of them want a current rabies certificate.

Domestic flights. Airlines want the rabies vaccination record and a fit-to-fly health certificate from a registered vet. Air India, for example, asks for the certificate to be issued within 7 days before departure. Each airline sets its own window, so check yours before booking; the rules change often.

Travelling abroad. Plan months ahead. Most countries want an ISO microchip implanted before the rabies shot, the shot given within a set window, and export clearance from India's Animal Quarantine and Certification Service. Many destinations also want a rabies antibody blood test. For EU countries, the pet must be at least 12 weeks old at its first rabies shot, the blood sample is taken at least 30 days after the shot, and you then wait 3 months from the sample before travelling. That is at least four months from the first shot.

After a bite, either way. It's the first thing a doctor asks about if your pet bites someone (see what to do after a bite), and the first thing your vet asks about if your pet gets bitten.

Keep the paper card safe, a photo on your phone, and a copy in the family group. The date on it is exactly what the booster checker above needs.