First Month With a New Dog in Hong Kong: Isolation, Vaccines, Dog Licence, Deworming and a Socialisation Timeline
The short answer: here is what a new dog's first month at home looks like, in order — Day 1, isolate and book the vet; at 8 / 12 / 16 weeks, three core vaccine shots; before 6 months, monthly deworming, monthly flea and tick medication, and monthly heartworm medication from 3–5 months; by 5 months old, microchip + rabies shot + AFCD dog licence (required by law); 12–16 weeks is the golden window for socialisation; puppies eat 4–6 meals a day, and large breeds stay on puppy food until 18 months. The full timeline table is below — work straight off it.
Adopted or bought, the first month home is the month with the most to do and a time when important tasks are easy to overlook: three vaccine shots, three different parasite medications, a licence that is required by law, and a socialisation window with a deadline. This piece turns the standard advice Hong Kong vet clinics give new pet owners into one timeline and one checklist, from Day 1 to 6 months. If you want something to remind you of every due date, put the date of birth into the deworming, vaccination and check-up schedule — it lays out the whole first year and emails you when something is coming up.
Your first-month checklist
| When | What to do | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Book the first vet check-up; if you have other animals at home, separate them straight away | Bring the vaccination card and deworming records from the previous owner or the rescue |
| Days 1–14 | Separation and observation: sneezing, coughing, eye or nose discharge, diarrhoea, vomiting, not eating, low energy | Any one of these → vet straight away; no sharing bowls or beds during isolation |
| 8 weeks | First core vaccine shot (DHPP); start monthly intestinal deworming and monthly flea and tick medication | Until the full course is done, no walking on the street and no contact with unfamiliar dogs |
| 12 weeks | Second shot; socialisation window opens (12–16 weeks) | Carrying him out to see the world is fine; paws on the ground waits until the shots are done |
| 16 weeks | Third shot (yearly boosters after that) | He only counts as fully vaccinated one to two weeks after this shot |
| 3–5 months | Start monthly heartworm medication (you can start once the second shot is done) | Hong Kong has mosquitoes all year, so it never stops; a dog over 6 months that has never been on it needs a blood test first |
| 12 weeks–5 months | Rabies shot (from 12 weeks) + microchip + AFCD dog licence, all sorted before 5 months old (the law) | The licence renews every 3 years; the AFCD runs vaccination and licensing centres |
| 6 months | Intestinal deworming moves to every 3–6 months; meals down to 2–3 a day; talk to your vet about desexing | Large breeds stay on large-breed puppy food until 18 months |
Vaccinations, parasite prevention, licensing and neutering — there is a lot to keep track of, and none of them belong in your head. Put the date of birth into the schedule tool and it emails you 7 days before each one.
① Isolation: the first thing when a new dog walks in
If you already have a dog or a cat at home, the new dog needs to be fully separated for 7–14 days — not just "don't let them play together", but separate room, separate bowls, separate beds. Watch closely over those two weeks: sneezing, coughing, more nose or eye discharge, diarrhoea, vomiting, poor appetite, lethargy. If any of it shows up, don't wait — go to the vet. Even with no other animals in the house, the first check-up should happen in week one, and it is a good moment to collect the vaccination card and deworming records.
② Vaccines: three shots at 8 / 12 / 16 weeks, then yearly
| Shot | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Core vaccine, shot 1 | 8–10 weeks | DHPPiL: distemper, hepatitis (adenovirus), parvovirus, parainfluenza, leptospirosis |
| Core vaccine, shot 2 | 12 weeks | Same as above; the rabies shot can be given at the same visit |
| Core vaccine, shot 3 | 16 weeks | Same as above; fully vaccinated one to two weeks after |
| Booster | One shot at 1 year; after that | Leptospirosis (L) every year; distemper / hepatitis / parvo (DHPi) can run every 3 years — so "a shot every year" is usually the L. Ask your vet what your dog is actually getting |
| Rabies shot | From 12 weeks, done before 5 months | Required by law, done together with the microchip and the licence, every 3 years |
A puppy part-way through the course does not have settled immunity yet: no walking on the street, no dog parks, no contact with dogs whose vaccination status you don't know. For socialisation you can carry him outside, or invite over a friend's dog that is fully vaccinated and steady in temperament.
③ Dog licence: sorted before 5 months old, required by law
Under Hong Kong's Rabies Ordinance, a dog can have the rabies shot from 12 weeks, and before it turns 5 months old it must be microchipped, given the rabies vaccine and licensed with the AFCD; the licence renews every 3 years, and the rabies shot is repeated at renewal. All three can be done in one go at a vet clinic, or at an AFCD vaccination and licensing centre (set dates, lower fee). Going without is about more than avoiding a fine — a microchip can help identify your dog if they get lost.
④ Deworming, fleas and ticks, heartworm: three medications, not one
Different parasites require different prevention plans. Intestinal worms (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm) come from the mother, from milk, from eggs in soil, or from swallowing a flea; hookworms barely a centimetre long and tapeworms metres long can both pass to people, and a light infection can show nothing at all. Fleas breed fast in Hong Kong's damp weather, and eggs carried into the flat keep re-hatching; on top of the itch they can set off a saliva allergy. Ticks take blood and also carry tick fever, which damages red blood cells and platelets — one of the most serious infections Hong Kong dogs pick up. Heartworm travels by mosquito and lives in the heart and pulmonary arteries; early on it is only a cough, breathlessness and low energy, and left too long it becomes heart failure.
| Medication | How often | When to start | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intestinal deworming (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm) | Monthly before 6 months; every 3–6 months after that | 8 weeks (or the first week home) | Tablet / paste |
| Fleas and ticks | Monthly (every two weeks in high-risk settings; or a 3-month product) | 8 weeks | Spot-on / oral / collar (most collars only cover ticks) |
| Heartworm | Monthly, all year round; or one injection a year from 9 months old | 3–5 months old (after the second shot) | Oral / spot-on / injection |
Heartworm is carried by mosquitoes, and Hong Kong has mosquitoes all year, so it is not a summer-only thing; even a week late can open a window. A dog over 6 months that has never been on the medication, or that stopped part-way, needs a blood test before starting — putting a dog that is already infected straight onto the monthly dose carries real risk. The monthly dose costs a few tens of dollars; a dog that is already infected may need hospital treatment and a prolonged course of care, so staying on the monthly dose always costs less. Some products are "three in one" and cover fleas, ticks and heartworm together, some don't — when you buy, or when you ask your vet, check exactly what is covered.
⑤ Feeding: 4–6 meals, and large breeds stay on puppy food to 18 months
- Puppies eat 4–6 meals a day, small and often; down to 2–3 meals after 6 months
- Stick to puppy food only — no adult food, no human food
- Large breeds (labradors, golden retrievers, German shepherds and the like) don't finish bone development until 18 months, so they need large-breed puppy food up to then — don't switch early
- Change food over 7–10 days, mixing slowly; never swap it all in one day
- How much a day? Put the weight and the age into the feeding calculator
Do puppies need supplements? Once weaned at 8 weeks they can have a puppy-specific formula (adult versions have the wrong amount and the wrong ratios for a puppy), but it isn't a must — if the food is good and the poop looks right, skip it. More detail in how to choose dog supplements in Hong Kong.
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Take a look →⑥ Socialisation: 12–16 weeks is the window, and it is hard to make up later
- Handling — gently handle the area around his eyes, ears, nose, lips, nails and paws every day; once he is used to it, nail trims, dental cleaning and vet visits won't turn into a fight
- Positive reinforcement — reward straight away (a snack, or one-on-one play) when he pees in the right place, sits, or drops something
- No punishment — hitting a dog makes him afraid of people, and over time that can turn into aggression
- Seeing the world — different sounds (cars, hairdryer, vacuum), different people (children, people in hats), different surfaces; carry him while the course is still in progress
⑦ Home setup checklist
- ☐ Non-slip flooring or mats (Hong Kong tiled floors are hard on a puppy's joints and hips)
- ☐ Chew toys (a teething puppy needs something to chew, or the furniture gets it)
- ☐ Puzzle feeder (slows the eating down and works the brain)
- ☐ Playpen or crate (for isolation and training, not punishment)
- ☐ Cables tucked away, medication and cleaning products up high
- ☐ If you're buying: selling unweaned, unvaccinated animals is illegal in Hong Kong — no vaccination card, no purchase
- ☐ Vaccination card + deworming records in one folder; or put them straight into the schedule tool
Cat owners, this is your version: new cat, first month checklist.
Common questions
When does a puppy get its first shot?
Usually the first core vaccine shot (DHPP) at 8 weeks, the second at 12 weeks and the third at 16 weeks, then a yearly booster (vets can stretch some core vaccines to 3 years). Until all three are done, no street walks and no contact with other dogs.
Is a dog licence compulsory in Hong Kong?
Yes. Under the Rabies Ordinance, a dog aged 5 months or over must be microchipped, given the rabies vaccine and licensed with the AFCD, and the licence renews every 3 years. Going without can lead to prosecution.
How often does a dog need deworming?
Monthly intestinal deworming before 6 months, then every 3–6 months; flea and tick medication monthly (or a 3-month product); heartworm medication monthly from 4–5 months old — Hong Kong has mosquitoes all year, so it never stops.
How many meals a day for a puppy?
Puppies eat 4–6 meals a day, small and often; down to 2–3 after 6 months. Large breeds don't finish bone development until 18 months, so they stay on large-breed puppy food until then.
Does a new dog need to be isolated?
If you already have other animals at home, the new dog needs to be fully separated for 7–14 days, watching for sneezing, coughing, eye or nose discharge, diarrhoea, vomiting, not eating and low energy — any of that, straight to the vet.
NanaPaws' chief taste tester and gatekeeper. NanaPaws is an authorised Zesty Paws retailer in Hong Kong, with the batch expiry date listed on every item; free SF Express delivery on orders of HK$300 or more. Sources: the new-pet care guidance Hong Kong vet clinics commonly give out, WSAVA 2024 vaccination guidelines, ESCCAP 2025 parasite guidelines, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
This article is general pet care information and is not veterinary advice. Vaccination, deworming and medication schedules should follow your own vet; if your dog has ongoing symptoms, please speak to a vet.
