diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler.go
index 9a576eeb2d6..0aed6bf6075 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler.go
@@ -271,6 +271,9 @@ func NewThrottler(env tabletenv.Env, srvTopoServer srvtopo.Server, ts *topo.Serv
 	throttler.dormantPeriod = dormantPeriod
 	throttler.recentCheckDormantDiff = int64(throttler.dormantPeriod / recentCheckRateLimiterInterval)
 	throttler.recentCheckDiff = int64(1 * time.Second / recentCheckRateLimiterInterval)
+	if throttler.recentCheckDiff < 1 {
+		throttler.recentCheckDiff = 1
+	}
 
 	throttler.StoreMetricsThreshold(defaultThrottleLagThreshold.Seconds()) //default
 	throttler.readSelfThrottleMetric = func(ctx context.Context, p *mysql.Probe) *mysql.MySQLThrottleMetric {
diff --git a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler_test.go b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler_test.go
index 41fb944817b..dadd6f59991 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttablet/tabletserver/throttle/throttler_test.go
@@ -185,6 +185,13 @@ func newTestThrottler() *Throttler {
 	return throttler
 }
 
+func TestInitThrottler(t *testing.T) {
+	throttler := newTestThrottler()
+	assert.Equal(t, 5*time.Second, throttler.dormantPeriod)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 5, throttler.recentCheckDormantDiff)
+	assert.EqualValues(t, 3, throttler.recentCheckDiff)
+}
+
 func TestIsAppThrottled(t *testing.T) {
 	throttler := Throttler{
 		throttledApps:   cache.New(cache.NoExpiration, 0),