How Much Do Dog Vaccinations Cost? Core Shots, Non-Core Vaccines, and the AAHA Schedule Explained

What "core" and "non-core" actually mean

The 2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines, updated in 2024, sort canine vaccines into two tiers. Core vaccines are recommended for every dog regardless of lifestyle: rabies, and the combination vaccine covering distemper, adenovirus, and parvovirus (commonly labeled DHPP, DA2PP, or DAPP). The 2024 update also moved leptospirosis into the core category for most dogs, reflecting how widely the bacteria shows up across the country rather than in a few isolated regions. Non-core vaccines are recommended selectively, based on a dog's exposure risk: bordetella (kennel cough), Lyme disease, and canine influenza are the most common. A dog that boards, goes to daycare, or visits dog parks typically needs more of the non-core list than one that stays mostly at home.

Core vaccine price list

Pricing varies by clinic and region, but published fee schedules converge on similar bands. Rabies is usually the cheapest core shot at $15 to $35 per dose, partly because it's produced at high volume and required by law almost everywhere. DHPP runs $20 to $60 per dose. Leptospirosis, now core, adds another $15 to $35, whether it's given as a standalone shot or folded into a combination vaccine. A dog current on all three core vaccines is typically looking at somewhere between $50 and $130 in vaccine cost alone, before any exam fee.

Non-core vaccines: bordetella, Lyme, and influenza

Non-core pricing tends to run higher than core pricing, largely because these vaccines are given less often and aren't produced at the same scale. Bordetella typically costs $20 to $50 per dose and is frequently required annually by boarding kennels and daycare facilities as a condition of admission -- worth checking against this site's guide to year-round parasite prevention costs, since both are recurring line items driven by lifestyle rather than age. Lyme disease vaccine runs roughly $20 to $65, with the higher end concentrated in Lyme-endemic regions like the Northeast and upper Midwest, where vets recommend it more routinely. Canine influenza (the H3N8/H3N2 bivalent vaccine) starts as a two-dose initial series, then drops to a single annual booster, at roughly $30 to $65 per dose.

Why the puppy series costs more than any year after

A puppy's immune system can't reliably respond to vaccines while it still carries maternal antibodies, so AAHA guidelines call for a series of doses rather than a single shot: DHPP and leptospirosis are typically given every 3 to 4 weeks starting around 6 to 8 weeks of age, continuing through roughly 16 weeks, with rabies added as a single dose once the puppy is old enough. That works out to 3 or 4 separate clinic visits packed into the first several months, and it's the main reason the vaccine portion of a puppy's first year commonly totals $75 to $250 at a general-practice clinic -- on top of the other first-year costs covered in this site's guide to what a puppy costs in year one. After that initial series, the frequency -- and the annual vaccine bill -- drops substantially.

The adult booster schedule

Once the puppy series is complete, most core vaccines shift to a lower-frequency schedule. AAHA guidelines call for a one-year booster after the puppy series, then, for DHPP and rabies specifically, boosters every three years for most adult dogs using a labeled 3-year vaccine. Leptospirosis, bordetella, Lyme, and canine influenza are typically boosted annually instead, since their protection window is shorter. That means an adult dog's vaccine bill isn't flat year to year -- it's higher in the "3-year booster" year and lower in the two years in between, when only the annual non-core shots and a rabies check are due. Legal rabies intervals are set by state or local law, not just the vaccine label, so it's worth confirming your area's requirement rather than assuming the vaccine's labeled duration applies automatically.

What's bundled into the "vaccine visit" price

Vaccines themselves are usually the smallest part of the receipt. Most general-practice clinics charge a separate office visit or exam fee, often $40 to $75, that applies whether or not any vaccines are given that day. Vets commonly use the same visit to run an annual heartworm test and fecal exam -- covered in more detail in this site's breakdown of what those two routine tests cost separately -- which is why a single "shots" appointment can land closer to $150 to $250 once testing is added rather than the $50 to $130 vaccine-only total.

Low-cost and community clinics vs. full-service vets

Community vaccine clinics, mobile vaccination events, and some shelters offer core vaccines without an exam fee, which is where the lower end of national pricing comes from: roughly $15 to $60 for a full round of shots with no office visit charge. The tradeoff is that these clinics generally don't run diagnostics, don't build a full medical record with one vet, and won't catch an unrelated health issue the way a full wellness exam would. Many of these same low-cost events also offer pet microchipping at a reduced add-on price, which is worth bundling into the same trip if a dog isn't already chipped.

Typical cost by scenario

Sources: 2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines (2024 update); published veterinary fee schedules and pet-cost surveys from Chewy, CareCredit, and MetLife Pet Insurance education pages; low-cost community vaccine clinic pricing. Verified September 2026; prices vary by clinic, region, and individual dog risk factors, so confirm current numbers with your vet before booking. This article covers general cost information only and is not veterinary advice -- which vaccines a specific dog needs is a decision to make with a licensed veterinarian.