This holiday season, your donation can make a life-changing difference for animals in Ukraine who are facing unimaginable hardships. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, hundreds of thousands of animals have become injured and abandoned. Sadly, this has led to an increase in the spread of preventable zoonotic diseases, including rabies, across both animal and human populations. The ongoing conflict has left countless pets and livestock abandoned, injured, and in desperate need of care. Veterinarians Without Borders North America (VWB) is on the ground providing critical support, and your generosity ensures animals get the lifesaving help they deserve.
Here are 7 ways your donation can directly help animals in Ukraine this holiday season:
1. Providing urgent veterinary care. Many animals rescued from frontline areas are critically injured due to the ongoing conflict and/or sick from preventable illnesses. By supporting our on-the-ground partners who are rescuing animals from frontline areas and transporting them to animal shelters in Ukraine, you can make an incredible difference for dogs, cats, and more that, otherwise, would truly have no other support. That includes dogs like Zara, who lost her two front paws after stepping on a landmine. With the help of people just like you, she was found near Kharkiv and is now healing and learning to walk with a wheelchair. Your gift helps animals receive critical medical attention, including emergency treatments, vaccinations, and wound care.
2. Delivering food and water. With supply chains disrupted and resources scarce, pets and livestock across Ukraine are often left hungry and dehydrated. Your support ensures animals have access to nutritious food and clean water to survive through winter.
3. Keeping animal shelters running. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, shelters in Ukraine have become overwhelmed as more animals arrive daily—often from the frontlines. You can help fund essential supplies like blankets, heating, food, and medicine to keep these shelters operational during the cold winter months.
4. Supporting families with pets. Many Ukrainian families have been forced to flee or live in extremely difficult conditions with their beloved pets. Your generosity helps provide food and care kits to keep families and their animals together and safe.
PHOTO: Two dogs rescued from frontline areas arriving at the Patron Pet Center in Kyiv.
PHOTO: A cat with an injured eye rescued from frontline regions.
PHOTO: A dog in Ukraine scavenges through the rubble of its former home.
5. Transporting supplies to hard-hit areas. Getting lifesaving supplies to conflict-affected regions is challenging but critical. Your donation helps fund transportation to deliver food, medicine, and care where it's needed most.
6. Protecting livestock and livelihoods. Livestock are vital for families' survival, providing food, milk, and income. Your support helps keep these animals healthy through veterinary care and feed, safeguarding livelihoods.
7. Preparing for harsh winter conditions. The winter months bring freezing temperatures and harsh conditions that put animals at greater risk. Your donation ensures shelters and families have resources like heating, blankets, and shelters to protect animals from the cold.
This holiday season, your kindness will save lives.
With your support, Veterinarians Without Borders can continue to deliver urgent aid to animals who need it most. Together, we can bring hope, health, and compassion to Ukraine’s animals during these challenging times.
Donate now, until Dec. 31st, and make 2x the difference thanks to a matching gift.
