Animal health organizations in Ukraine receive $50,000 grant for veterinary relief

Stray cats in Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation and the American Veterinary Medical Association)

The Ukrainian Small Animal Veterinary Association (USAVA) and its charity branch, the Ukraine Veterinary Medical Foundation (UVMF), will receive a $50,000 grant for veterinary relief in Ukraine amid the war in the country. The fund will be provided by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF), the charitable branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).¹

USAVA and UVMF will use the grant to sustain a mobile veterinary clinic operating in Ukraine and to purchase food for several thousand animals. The funds will also provide animals and pet owners in Ukraine with shelter, veterinary equipment, and veterinary care, according to a news release.¹ The grant was approved this month by the AVMF board of directors.

“The AVMF has been privileged to support the veterinary community in Ukraine since the onset of the conflict,” said Rena Carlson, DVM, AVMF chair, in a news release.¹ “The conditions they work under are unimaginable. We are inspired by their dedication to ensuring that animals and their owners receive the necessary care and support. By funding a mobile unit in Ukraine, we enable veterinarians to reach areas where the need is greatest.”

Vladlen Ushakov, USAVA president and international veterinary fellow at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Massachusetts believes the grant will help more than 10,000 animals in Ukraine.¹

Census data from 2023 revealed that the war in Ukraine has led to a rapid increase in the number of animals in shelters and in the care of animal volunteers, according to a report.² As of 2023, the number increased by 20% to 30% in rear areas. Among volunteer caregivers, the number of animals increased by 60%. Meanwhile, in frontline zones, the number of animals in shelters increased by 100% or more. According to the report, most of these animals are pets that were abandoned by their owners during evacuations.² In Ukrainian towns that were forced to evacuate due to the threat of Russian bombs and soldiers, stray cats and dogs are a common sight, according to the AVMA.¹

Before the war, Kormotech, a pet food company, estimated that there were 8 million domestic cats and dogs living in Ukraine.³ Since the start of the war in 2022, many companion animals in Ukraine have been killed or have escaped animal shelters due to artillery or other weapons striking the shelters, according to a news report.³ Moreover, animal shelters in the country have faced challenges in acquiring necessary supplies, according to the AVMA.³

According to Danielle Johnson, executive director of the AVMF, the organization has raised more than $667,000 in disaster relief for Ukraine since the war began, a news release relayed.¹

More than $570,000 of these funds have been allocated to veterinary-focused groups such as USAVA and UVMF, as well as to Greater Good Charities, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Street Dog Coalition, Worldwide Vets, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.¹ The remaining funds from the AVMF’s Ukraine disaster relief efforts will be distributed by the end of 2024.

References

1. AVMF maintains support for veterinary relief in Ukraine. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. August 19, 2024. Accessed August 20, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/avmf-maintains-support-veterinary-relief-ukraine
2. Research: How war affected animal shelters in Ukraine. Kormotech. February 1, 2023. Accessed August 20, 2024. https://www.savepetsofukraine.kormotech.com/en/post/research-how-war-affected-animal-shelters-in-ukraine
3. Cima G. Animals also victims of war in Ukraine. American Veterinary Medical Association. March 31, 2022. Accessed August 20, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/animals-also-victims-war-ukraine