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Vaccines are a shield against serious disease that helps your dog live a long life. This article summarizes Thailand's dog vaccination approach per VPAT guidelines: core and non-core vaccines, schedules for puppies and adults, annual boosters, and key precautions.
As a veterinarian, I'd like to summarize the dog vaccination approach in Thailand, based on the guidelines of the Veterinary Practitioner Association of Thailand (VPAT), so owners clearly understand what puppies need — and whether adult dogs still need shots.
Core vaccines are those "every dog must have" because they protect against severe, high-mortality diseases:
Non-core vaccines are recommended for dogs at risk based on environment or lifestyle, including CPIV (canine parainfluenza) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough).
The first year is when a puppy's body builds immunity. Here is a sample program following VPAT guidelines:
| Puppy age | Vaccine required |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Combination CDV, CPV, CAV-2 + Leptospirosis (dose 1) |
| 12 weeks | Combination + Leptospirosis (dose 2) |
| 14 weeks | Rabies (dose 1) |
| 16 weeks | Combination + Leptospirosis (dose 3) |
| 18 weeks | Rabies (dose 2) |
| 1 year | Rabies (dose 3) |
For adult dogs (over 4 months) with no vaccine history, the vet will set up a program of the combination vaccine, rabies, and leptospirosis — two doses each, 2–4 weeks apart.
After completing the first-year program, to keep immunity at a safe level your dog needs boosters:
Bringing your dog for vaccines on schedule is the simplest, most cost-effective way to protect them from serious disease. Don't forget to open the vaccine booklet and check the next appointment date.
1. Why boost vaccines if my dog was vaccinated as a puppy?
Because immunity wanes over time. Boosters re-prime the immune system to stay protective. Rabies and leptospirosis must be boosted every year, while the combination vaccine (distemper, parvo) can be boosted every 1–3 years based on the vet's risk assessment.
2. Do senior dogs still need vaccines?
Yes. Senior dogs have waning immunity and catch infections more easily, but the vet will make the program more flexible — doing a thorough exam first, possibly delaying if there's underlying illness, or using antibody titer testing instead for the combination vaccine.
3. After vaccination, can I bathe my dog or apply flea/tick meds right away?
Hold off and space them out. Avoid bathing for 7–10 days to prevent stress or sudden temperature changes (use a towel instead), and space flea/tick medication 3–7 days from the vaccine — whether oral or spot-on — so the body isn't overloaded and any reaction is easier to distinguish.
