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Charities vaccinate pets as rabies spreads in Ukraine
Image: Person holding cat that has been vaccinated
There were more than a thousand rabies cases in Ukraine last year.
New scheme aims to vaccinate 7,000 animals.

A coalition of animal welfare organisations are vaccinating pets in Ukraine against rabies as outbreaks in the country increase.

More than 1,500 animals have been vaccinated as part of the Save Paws project, out of a planned total of 7,000.

The number of rabies cases in Ukraine has grown since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country. The causes include a 60 per cent increase in the number of stray animals and the ongoing fighting making it harder to implement rabies prevention measures.

In 2023, 1,222 cases of animals with rabies were recorded in Ukraine, 2.3 times the amount seen in 2022. The highest number of cases have been in the Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, Ternopil, and Vinnytsia regions.

As part of the Save Paws project, animals are also being vaccinated against other infectious diseases and microchipped. Priority is being given to the pets of internally displaced Ukrainians.

The scheme, which was launched in May 2024, is a collaboration between the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Save Pets of Ukraine, and U-Hearts.

The Ukrainian government is also working to reduce the spread of rabies and improve pet identification. It has launched the Unified State Register of Pets, a nationwide database which will allow for real-time monitoring of vaccinations and help reunite lost pets with their owners.

Anastasia Ivanychenko, project co-ordinator at Save Pets of Ukraine, said: “Preventing the spread of infectious diseases is a complex and important task for us. The rabies problem in Ukraine only seems irrelevant. Increasingly, veterinarians and pet owners from east to west are encountering it.”

Image © U-Hearts

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Free CPD announced for BVNA members

News Story 1
 Zoetis is to present a CPD event for free to members of the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA).

Led by veterinary consultant Ruth Moxon, the one-hour online session is designed to help veterinary nurses discuss parasiticide options with clients. It will advise on structuring recommendations, factors for product choice and moving away from 'selling'.

'How do you recommend parasite treatments to your clients?' will be presented on Tuesday, 20 May at 7.30pm. It is free for BVNA members, with £15.00 tickets for non-members.

Veterinary nurses can email cpd@bvna.co.uk to book their place. 

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News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.