What is DHPPi vaccine?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
DHPPi is the combined core vaccine for dogs printed on many Indian vaccine cards. The letters stand for distemper (D), hepatitis from canine adenovirus (H), parvovirus (P) and parainfluenza (Pi). DHPPiL adds leptospirosis (L). It is the same vaccine group that US cards call DHPP or DA2PP, and puppies start it at 6 to 8 weeks.
Also called DHPPi, DHPP, DHPPiL, DA2PP, DAPP, DHLPP, 7-in-1 vaccine, 9-in-1 vaccine.
Key facts
- Core vaccines for dogs in every country protect against canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and canine parvovirus. WSAVAstudy
- The H is given as canine adenovirus type 2 vaccine, which protects against the type 1 virus that causes infectious hepatitis. MSD Animal Health Indonesia
- Parainfluenza (Pi) is a non-core vaccine in WSAVA's guidelines; it is included because it helps against kennel cough. WSAVAstudy
- ICAR-IVRI's calendar gives the combined puppy doses at 6 to 8, 10 to 12 and 12 to 16 weeks. ICAR-IVRI
- WSAVA and AAHA want the last puppy dose at 16 weeks or older, with a booster at about 26 weeks under WSAVA 2024. WSAVAstudy
What does each letter in DHPPi stand for?
Indian, US and European cards use different letters for the same diseases. This is how they line up.
- D: distemper
- Canine distemper virus, which attacks the airways, gut and nerves. Core. WSAVAstudy
- H or A2: hepatitis (adenovirus)
- Infectious canine hepatitis, prevented by the adenovirus-2 vaccine. US cards often write A2 or A instead of H. Core. MSD Animal Health Indonesia
- P: parvovirus
- Canine parvovirus, the severe gut virus of puppies. Core. WSAVAstudy
- Pi: parainfluenza
- Canine parainfluenza virus, one of the causes of kennel cough. Non-core. WSAVAstudy
- L: leptospirosis
- The Leptospira bacteria, carried in rat urine. Vaccines carry one to four types; L4 means four. WSAVAstudy
- C or CCoV: coronavirus
- Canine enteric coronavirus, added in some combinations. WSAVA does not recommend it. WSAVAstudy
What do 7-in-1 and 9-in-1 mean on a vaccine vial?
No veterinary body defines them. They are brand counts of the components in a vial, and makers count differently: some count each Leptospira type separately, some add coronavirus. A 9-in-1 vial is therefore not necessarily better than DHPPiL.
Read the sticker on the card, or ask your vet three things: which of distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus and parainfluenza it covers, how many Leptospira types it contains, and whether it includes coronavirus, which WSAVA's 2024 guidelines list as not recommended.
When is DHPPi given?
Puppies get the first dose at 6 to 8 weeks, never before 6 weeks in the routine series, then a dose every 2 to 4 weeks until they are 16 weeks or older. The last dose matters most, because antibodies from the mother can block earlier ones. WSAVA 2024 adds a booster at or shortly after 26 weeks.
After that, sources differ. WSAVA and AAHA say the core parts need boosting no more often than every 3 years, while ICAR-IVRI's leaflet lists every vaccine yearly. The leptospirosis part, where included, is yearly under all of them. Your vet decides.
Is DHPPi the same as DHPP?
Yes, in the diseases that matter. DHPP, DA2PP and DAPP are the US names for the same combination; the small i in Pi only marks parainfluenza. So a card that shows DHPPi covers the same diseases as a request for DHPP; what a sitter or airline will check is that the dates are current. Check the card's due dates against your travel or boarding dates with the vaccine due-date checker.
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Questions owners ask
What is the difference between DHPPi and DHPPiL?
- DHPPiL adds leptospirosis (L) to the four parts of DHPPi: distemper, hepatitis from canine adenovirus, parvovirus and parainfluenza. Leptospirosis is spread in rat urine and rises in India's monsoon; the Health Ministry's 2026 advisory asks owners to consider the vaccine, and the L part is repeated every year.
Is the 9-in-1 vaccine better than DHPPi?
- Not necessarily. No veterinary body defines 9-in-1; makers count components differently, often counting each Leptospira type or adding coronavirus, which WSAVA does not recommend. What matters is that the core parts are there and how many Leptospira types are covered. Ask your vet.
How many DHPPi shots does a puppy need?
- Usually three or four, depending on the age at the first dose: from 6 to 8 weeks, then every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older. WSAVA 2024 adds a booster at about 26 weeks, so a typical puppy has its last core dose of the first year around six months.
Does DHPPi include rabies?
- No. Rabies is a separate vaccine, given from 12 weeks of age and recorded on its own line of the card. In India rabies is core because the disease is endemic. City dog licences and airlines usually ask for the rabies certificate separately.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in vaccines and parasites
- BabesiosisBabesiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Babesia, tiny parasites that live in and destroy red blood cells. It is spread mainly by ticks, and in India one species, Babesia gibsoni, also spreads through dog fights and blood transfusions. Signs are anaemia with pale gums, weakness, jaundice and red or brown urine. Dogs that recover can relapse.
- Booster vaccineA booster is a repeat dose of a vaccine that tops up or confirms a pet's protection. Puppies and kittens get a booster at about 26 weeks after their first course. After that, modern core vaccines for distemper, parvovirus and panleukopenia protect for years, while leptospirosis, kennel cough and most killed vaccines need a booster every year.
- Brown dog tickThe brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is the most common tick on dogs in the tropics, including India. Unlike most ticks it lives and breeds indoors, in homes and kennels, as well as outdoors. It spreads ehrlichiosis and one form of babesiosis, the infections Indian owners call tick fever, so tick control is needed all year.
- Core vaccinesCore vaccines are the vaccines every dog or cat should have, wherever it lives, because they protect against widespread, serious diseases. For dogs they cover distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; for cats, panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. In India rabies is core for both, and WSAVA also treats leptospirosis vaccine as core for dogs where the disease is endemic.
- DewormingDeworming is giving a pet medicine, chosen by your vet, to kill intestinal worms such as roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Puppies can be born with roundworms and catch more from their mother's milk, so deworming starts in the first weeks of life. Some dog and cat worms can infect people, especially children, so regular deworming protects the family too.
- EhrlichiosisEhrlichiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Ehrlichia canis, a bacterium carried by the brown dog tick. Signs appear 1 to 3 weeks after infection: fever, dullness, bleeding such as nosebleeds or bruising, and enlarged lymph nodes. Some dogs seem to recover but carry the infection silently and later develop a severe chronic form.
- Flea and tick preventionFlea and tick prevention means regularly protecting a pet from these parasites with a product your vet recommends, plus checking the coat and treating the home. Tropical guidelines say dogs and cats in places like India should be protected all year, including indoor pets. Use products licensed for the species, and never put a dog product on a cat.
- FleasFleas are small, wingless, blood-feeding insects. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is the most common flea on dogs and cats worldwide, and the main flea on dogs studied in India. Fleas cause itching, flea allergy, tapeworm and, in heavy infestations, anaemia in puppies and kittens. Most of the flea life cycle happens in the home.
- FVRCP vaccineFVRCP is the core combined vaccine for cats. It protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia. Indian cards often show a brand name from the vial sticker instead, such as Tricat. Kittens start at 6 to 8 weeks, with doses every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, then a booster at about 26 weeks.
- HeartwormHeartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is a long worm that lives in the heart and lung blood vessels of dogs and, less often, cats. It is spread by mosquito bites and is widespread in tropical regions, including parts of India. Signs include coughing, tiring on exercise and weight loss. It can be prevented, and dogs should be tested yearly.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- MSD Animal Health Indonesia: Nobivac DHPPi (product page) (opens in a new tab)
- ICAR-IVRI: Vaccination of dogs and cats (Hindi leaflet, 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: Core and non-core vaccines for pet dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Pre-monsoon leptospirosis advisory (23 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats (WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, Journal of Small Animal Practice) (opens in a new tab)
- AAHA (JAAHA): 2022 AAHA canine vaccination guidelines (opens in a new tab)
- Research in Veterinary Science (2019), Zhejiang University: Vaccination at different anatomic sites induces different levels of the immune responses (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)