Three months after the start of the war in Ukraine, millions of people have either fled the country or been displaced internally, while humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially. Every day thousands of people flee from Ukraine with only what they can carry: often this is their pet. From the first information received by VSF from the Polish border at Medyka about 30% of refugees have a pet, and some of them need veterinary care.
Usually, pet care goes beyond the mission of VSF International, whose main field of expertise remains the support to small-scale livestock keepers and pastoralists. However, the urgency and exceptional nature of the situation cannot leave us indifferent, and compels us to act in our role as veterinarians. Companion animals play a significant role in fostering the psychological wellbeing of pets’ owners, especially in extreme situations like this. Taking care of pets means preserving a connection with the life that so many people have been forced to leave. While health care and support is given to humans, pets also need their needs and welfare maintained: many animals, as their owners, arrive exhausted or with some wounds that need to be taken care of.
Moreover, rabies is still present in Ukraine, in contrast to many European countries, which are free from rabies. The sudden arrival of non-vaccinated pets can pose serious threats to public health and requires a prompt reaction from the local veterinary services to vaccinate them against rabies or impose a quarantine.
Two VSF International’s member
organizations are already active in providing support to refugees’ pets:
VWB/VSF Canada is assessing the situation along the Polish border and will continue to do so along other bordering countries. Currently their main focus of work is supporting a number of key local partners within Ukraine to provide food and medical supplies to over 700 local shelters and animal care providers. For further information on this program visit their Ukraine emergency page.
For the moment precise information on the situation of farm animals in Ukraine are still lacking. But it is likely that livestock and livestock keepers will be soon in need of support. VSF International will keep assessing the situation and evaluating whether we can scale up our activities in support to Ukrainian people.
How can you help?
If you want to support our activities for Ukrainian refugees, you can donate to:
VSF Czech Republic: https://www.darujme.cz/projekt/1206004?locale=en
VWB/VSF Canada: https://www.vetswithoutborders.ca/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm/contribute/transact&reset=1&id=214
