Puppy vaccination schedule for Kenya
A puppy in Nairobi faces heavier parvovirus pressure than one in London, and rabies vaccination is a legal duty here rather than a lifestyle choice. This is the schedule that fits Kenya.
Written for Kenya · last reviewed 2026-08-29
The short version
Puppies are protected by their mother’s antibodies for the first few weeks. Those antibodies fade, and they also block vaccines from working, which is why a puppy needs a course of shots rather than one. The course covers the window where maternal protection has gone but vaccine protection has not yet arrived.
| Age | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6 to 8 weeks | First combination shot. Distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza. |
| 10 to 12 weeks | Second combination shot. |
| 14 to 16 weeks | Third combination shot, plus rabies. |
| Annually | Booster, plus rabies every year by law. |
Deworming runs alongside this, on its own schedule. A puppy carrying a heavy worm burden responds poorly to vaccination, so the two go together.
Why the schedule you found online is probably wrong for Kenya
Search “puppy vaccination schedule” from Nairobi and you will get the RSPCA, the American Kennel Club, an Australian chain and a clinic in San Francisco. They are all competent and none of them is writing about your puppy.
The differences that matter:
Parvovirus pressure is much higher here. In countries with decades of near-universal vaccination, parvo is a disease vets read about. In Kenya it is a disease vets treat, and it kills puppies within days. The practical consequence is that the gap between shots matters more, and taking an under-vaccinated puppy to a public park is a genuinely bad idea rather than an abundance of caution.
Rabies is a legal obligation. Under the Rabies Control Act every dog and cat in Kenya must be vaccinated. Foreign schedules present rabies as travel-dependent or region-dependent. Here it is simply required, and you will need the certificate for boarding, for a landlord, and for any move abroad.
Stock is not guaranteed. Kenyan clinics work with imported vaccines and supply is uneven. A good clinic will tell you which brand they are using and when the next batch lands, rather than quietly substituting.
What it costs
Full pricing is in the table below. The honest summary is that a complete puppy course in Nairobi runs somewhere around KES 3,500 to 5,000 across three visits, and the annual booster after that is KES 1,000 to 3,000.
If that is genuinely out of reach, say so rather than skipping the course. The KSPCA runs subsidised clinics, and a vaccinated puppy on a payment conversation is a far better outcome than an unvaccinated one with parvo, which will cost several times more to treat and may not survive it.
Getting the card right
Keep the vaccination card. Photograph it. It is the only proof you have, and you will need it for boarding kennels, for travel paperwork and if you ever change vet. A card should show the product name, the batch, the date and the vet who gave it. A card that just says “vaccinated” with a tick is not worth much.
What this costs in Kenya
| Treatment | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full puppy course (all visits) | KES 3,500–KES 5,000 | Three visits, combination vaccine plus rabies |
| Rabies, 1 year | KES 800–KES 1,500 | Legally required annually |
| Combination shot (distemper, parvo, hepatitis, parainfluenza) | KES 1,650–KES 2,500 | Per dose |
| Annual booster, adult dog | KES 1,000–KES 3,000 |
Indicative market ranges for Kenya, reviewed 2026-08-29. This is not a quotation. Prices vary with your pet’s weight, the brand of vaccine or drug used, and whether the visit is at a clinic or at your home. Ask for a figure before treatment starts, any vet should give you one. A very small or very large breed can sit outside these ranges.
Why this is different in Kenya
- Rabies vaccination is compulsory under Kenya's Rabies Control Act, not optional. Every dog and cat must be vaccinated annually, and you need the certificate for travel, boarding and most kennels.
- Parvovirus circulates heavily in Kenya and kills unvaccinated puppies fast. Foreign schedules that treat parvo as a background risk badly understate it here.
- Vaccine brands available in Kenya are largely imported and stock varies. The combination your vet has this month may not be the one they had last month, which changes the timing slightly.
- Cold chain matters more here than in temperate countries. A vaccine that has sat in a warm matatu is worthless, which is a real argument for a clinic that stores its own stock properly.
Common questions
When can my puppy first go outside?
Wait until a week after the final puppy shot before walking your puppy in public places. In Kenya that usually means around 16 to 17 weeks. Your own garden is fine earlier if no unvaccinated dog uses it.
My puppy came with a card saying it was already vaccinated. Do I start again?
Bring the card. If it names the vaccine, the date and the vet, we continue the course. If it is a handwritten note with no product name, it is safer to restart, because an unrecorded or badly stored vaccine gives no protection at all.
Is the yearly booster really necessary?
Rabies is a legal requirement every year regardless. For the rest, annual boosting is standard practice in Kenya given the disease pressure here, and boarding kennels will ask for it.
What if I miss a shot by a few weeks?
Do not panic and do not start from scratch without asking. A short delay usually means continuing the course, a long gap may mean restarting. Ring us with the dates on the card.