Your Lab Puppy's First Vet Visit in Charlotte: Shot Schedule, Costs & Questions to Ask
Quick answer: Book the first visit for the first few days after your puppy comes home, usually around 6 to 8 weeks old. The vet does a full exam, weighs your puppy, checks a stool sample, and continues the vaccine series where we left off. That series runs past 16 weeks, and North Carolina law requires a rabies shot by four months. Charlotte prices we could verify run from $30 for a wellness exam at a low-cost clinic to $550 for a year-long puppy package. Most full-service clinics quote at the desk.
Jump to: What happens at each visit · Shot schedule · Deworming · What we send home · Questions to ask · Budget · Clinics · 24-hour hospitals
What happens at each visit
A puppy vaccine series is not one appointment. It is three or four, a few weeks apart.
First visit: 6 to 8 weeks
VCA Animal Hospitals puts the first puppy visit at six to eight weeks, for a health exam and to begin vaccinations and parasite preventives.
The exam is nose to tail: weight, temperature, heart and lungs, ears, eyes, teeth, skin and coat, hips and knees, and a check for an umbilical hernia. Expect questions about food, housebreaking, and what shots and deworming are done.
Bring the record we send home. The dates on it let your vet time the next dose instead of restarting the series. Bring a stool sample if the clinic asks. Then comes the first round: usually a combination shot for distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus.
Second visit: 10 to 12 weeks
Same exam, shorter. Your puppy gets the second combination dose three to four weeks after the first, and leptospirosis often starts here as two doses three to four weeks apart. The scale tells you whether the food amount is still right.
Third visit: 14 to 16 weeks
The third combination shot lands here, and rabies usually comes with it. VCA notes rabies is often given at 12 to 16 weeks. North Carolina allows it from 12 weeks, no sooner, and requires it by four months, so this visit settles the legal side.
Keep the certificate. Boarding, daycare and training classes all ask for it, and North Carolina allows no legal waivers. One timing detail: a puppy is not considered currently vaccinated until 28 days after that first rabies shot, so keep it away from wildlife and unknown dogs until then.
The finish line: 16 to 20 weeks
Some puppies need one more combination dose to close the series. AAHA's 2022 canine vaccination guidelines call for revaccination every 2 to 4 weeks until the puppy is older than 16 weeks, and prefer finishing at 18 to 20 weeks where parvo risk is high. Ask your vet: "Is the series finished, or is there one more?" Get a date.
The one-year visit brings a rabies booster and a distemper-parvo booster. AAHA's guidance is a booster within a year of the puppy series, then every three years; annual revaccination is not necessary after that. North Carolina's rabies manual says the same for rabies: the first booster comes one year later, whatever age the dog was at the first shot.
The shot schedule by age
This is the range the published guidance gives. Your vet sets your puppy's actual schedule, and can move a date for a puppy that started late or was sick.
| Age | What is typically done |
|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks | First exam, first DHPP combination shot, fecal test, deworming; Bordetella if your vet recommends it |
| 10–12 weeks | Second DHPP, first leptospirosis dose, next deworming |
| 14–16 weeks | Third DHPP, second leptospirosis dose, rabies |
| 16–20 weeks | Final DHPP if the series started late |
| 1 year | Rabies booster, DHPP booster |
| Every 3 years | Rabies and DHPP boosters |
The age ranges come from AAHA's 2022 Canine Vaccination Guidelines and VCA Animal Hospitals' guide to puppy veterinary care. Rabies timing comes from North Carolina General Statute 130A-185 and the NC DHHS rabies manual.
That is also why the series spreads out: antibodies from the mother's milk can block a vaccine, so a single shot at 6 weeks does not produce lasting immunity. The doses repeat until those antibodies fade.
Deworming, and why it repeats
Dewormers kill adult worms, not the immature stages. VCA explains the larvae become adults within three to four weeks, which is why treatment repeats on that interval. The Companion Animal Parasite Council says to start puppies at two weeks and repeat every two weeks until regular broad-spectrum parasite control begins, with fecal exams at least four times in the first year.
| Age | Deworming |
|---|---|
| 2–8 weeks | Every two weeks, starting at two weeks old |
| 8 weeks to 6 months | Monthly broad-spectrum parasite prevention |
| 6 months and later | Monthly, year-round, or quarterly if monthly control is not workable |
Your puppy leaves here with deworming started on that schedule, and the dates are on the record sheet.
What we send home with your puppy
Every LabPups puppy goes home with a folder your vet will want to see:
- Vaccination and deworming record — what was given, and the date of each dose
- AKC registration paperwork, limited registration
- Birth certificate with your puppy's lineage and microchip number
- Microchip registration so the chip goes into your name
- Our One-Year Major Genetic Guarantee
- A welcome kit with information for new puppy owners
Hand the record to the front desk at check-in. The most common delay at a first visit is a vet who cannot tell whether the puppy already had a first shot and has to guess at the interval.
Questions to ask at the first visit
- Which shot is next, and what is the exact date?
- How many DHPP doses are left before the series is finished?
- When is rabies due, and will you file the certificate for me?
- What heartworm prevention do you recommend, and when can we start it?
- What will the whole series cost start to finish, and do you offer a package price?
- Which 24-hour hospital do you send clients to?
- When should we talk about spay or neuter for a Lab?
Ask for the total.
What to budget
Vaccines are the small part of a first year with a Lab. Here is what we could verify.
Park Road Animal Hospital publishes three fixed-price packages.
| Package | What is included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 3 exams, 3 DHPP, 2 Bordetella, 1 deworming, 1 rabies, 1 fecal | $200 |
| Plus | Basic plus 2 Lyme, 2 lepto, microchip | $350 |
| Deluxe | 12 exams, all Plus vaccines and microchip, 10% off spay or neuter | $550 |
The clinic lists their value at $500, $774 and $1,269. Lepto and Lyme appear only in the Plus and Deluxe tiers.
Humane Society of Charlotte, Essential Care clinic: $30 wellness exam, $20 each for DA2PP, Bordetella, rabies and leptospirosis, $25 fecal and heartworm tests, $10 deworming by weight, $25 microchip, plus a $25 non-refundable deposit. It does not treat sick or injured pets, so it is a wellness option, not a full-service vet.
Stand For Animals: $40–$75 per office visit depending on type, $20 rabies and DHAPP, $25 Bordetella and leptospirosis, $20 fecal and heartworm tests, $35 microchip. Same prices at all three locations.
Rover's national cost guide, for context: $80–$180 for initial vet exams, $180–$300 for core vaccinations, $145–$305 for routine visits over the first year. National averages, not Charlotte prices; Rover notes bigger cities cost more.
Plan for the spay or neuter too. Stand For Animals lists $150 for a spay and $115 for a neuter, plus $25 for 40–75 lbs, $50 for 76–95 lbs, and $75 over 96 lbs. A Lab lands in one of those brackets.
Charlotte-area veterinary clinics
Options to check, not a recommendation or a partnership. We are a breeder, not a vet, and no clinic here pays us. Call to confirm hours and that the practice takes new puppy clients.
DownDog Veterinary Clinic — south Charlotte, Ballantyne Village. Small practice; lists puppy vaccines, parasite testing and deworming. 14815 Ballantyne Village Way Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28277. (704) 445-2929. Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri 8:30 to 5:30, Wed 8:30 to 12:30, closed weekends.
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Park Road Animal Hospital — south Charlotte, near SouthPark. Full-service, and the source of the package prices above. 5110 Park Rd. Ste 1-K, Charlotte, NC 28209. (980) 981-4334. Open seven days.
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GoodVets Plaza Midwood — central Charlotte, on Central Avenue. Dogs and cats, seven-day scheduling listed. 1713 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205. (704) 980-8355.
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Riverbend Veterinary PetCare Hospital — northwest Charlotte, Riverbend Village. Full-service, with same-day appointments listed. 9511 Riverbend Village Dr. Suite I1, Charlotte, NC 28216. 704-971-2075.
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Fullwood Animal Hospital — east side, Matthews. Full-service since 1986, with a wellness and vaccination line. 4101 Matthews-Mint Hill Rd, Matthews, NC 28105. 704-545-2235. Closed weekends.
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North Creek Animal Hospital — north side, Huntersville. 14007 North Creek Village Drive Suite 100, Huntersville, NC 28078. 980-595-2826. Closed Wednesdays and Sundays.
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24-hour emergency hospitals
Know where you are going before you need to go. Puppies eat things. All four run emergency service 24/7.
CARE | Charlotte Animal Referral & Emergency — 3726 Latrobe Drive, Charlotte, NC 28211. (704) 457-2300. CARE does not do routine vaccines, teeth cleaning, spay or neuter, or boarding. Those belong with your regular vet; this is for emergencies.
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Carolina Veterinary Specialists – Charlotte — 2225 Township Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273. (704) 504-9608. Emergency 24/7. Specialist appointments run weekdays and require a referral.
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Carolina Veterinary Specialists – Matthews — 4099 Campus Ridge Rd, Matthews, NC 28104. (704) 815-3939. Emergency 24/7, no referral needed. Specialty appointments do need one.
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Carolina Veterinary Specialists – Huntersville — 12117 Statesville Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078. (704) 949-1100. Emergency 24/7, and takes birds and exotics as well as dogs and cats.
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Before you go: one call that saves a hassle
We tell families to keep a young puppy away from crowded pet stores and other high-traffic dog places until the vaccine series is finished, because parvovirus is hardy and an unvaccinated puppy is not protected. That is about where you take your puppy, not about skipping the vet.
So make one call when you book. Ask how the clinic handles puppies that are not finished with their shots. Some schedule puppy appointments first thing in the morning, some use a side entrance, some ask you to carry your puppy past the lobby. Most handle this every day. Then go: the series only works if it happens on time.
Ready for your own Lab?
Our Lab puppies are $2,549, and a $1,200 deposit holds a puppy or a selection position. Age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming and a microchip are done before your puppy comes home, so the first vet visit starts from a running start. Each listing shows its exact price.
Two older yellow Labs are ready now: Buddy (male, 1 year 6 months old, born May 1, 2025, out of Boo and Bogart, $2,549) and Lilly (female, 11 months old, born November 17, 2025, out of Maggie Mae and Marshall, $2,549). Deposits are placed on the website.
See the Available Puppies page to choose a puppy or a selection position and place the deposit online. To talk it through first, call (704) 504-7931 or text 704-975-2726. Email: puppies@labpups.com.
LabPups, 1501 Gum Branch Rd, Charlotte, NC 28214. Breeding since 1991.
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