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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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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."