OCTOBER 30, 2024 – The ongoing war in Ukraine, which started in early 2022, has displaced millions of citizens and left hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs suffering. Many pets and shelter animals were left behind when their owners fled the country or fell victim to the attacks. War has exacerbated an already-tenuous situation where an estimated 200,000 stray dogs roam the streets.

To provide continued help for strays as well as pets of owners in need, global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS has initiated a new project in Ukraine together with the Ukrainian Veterinary Medicine Foundation (UVMF), providing free veterinary care in two charitable clinics in Zaporizhzhia and Irpin close to Kyiv.

One of the patients was a dog named Linda. During this check-up, the veterinarians found that Linda was suffering from a heart condition, and they provided her with free treatment. Her disease is most likely the result of the traumatic stress she and her owner endured during shelling. “I am so grateful for this free treatment. My dog is very dear to me, that she could be helped is a true gift,” her owner Viktor Kornienko said. Previously, Kornienko and Linda had to flee from the war in Donezk and leave everything behind when fighting broke out close to his home.

Since the start of the project in August 2024, over 2,000 cats and dogs have received medical treatment and 430 were neutered at the two clinics.

As many pets go missing in times of conflict, FOUR PAWS is also supporting an initiative by the Ukrainian government to build a nationwide database for microchipped cats and dogs. To ensure more pets find their way back to their family, FOUR PAWS distributed chip readers to veterinary clinics and shelters.

FOUR PAWS has been helping stray animals in Ukraine since 2012. Despite the war, FOUR PAWS continues this much-needed work across Ukraine to help as many stray, lost and abandoned animals as possible. Its catch-neuter-vaccinate-return (CNVR) projects, which include a mobile clinic, reduce the stray populations in a sustainable and humane way, and are core elements of the successful Stray Animal Care. In total, over 50,000 stray dogs and cats were successfully sterilized and vaccinated and received additional medical treatment if needed. FOUR PAWS was also on-the-ground after the devastating flooding, which occurred due to the failure of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson region, and responded through existing networks with aid. 

At BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr, FOUR PAWS is also providing a species-appropriate forever home for 27 bears rescued from poor keeping conditions in captivity. One of these bears is Bakhmut, who was named after the city where  the military found him abandoned and malnourished in a private backyard. Bakhmut was rescued and brought to FOUR PAWS in September 2022.