Veterinarians spayed and neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and treated the animals, and also provided numerous consultations for their caregivers.
In de-occupied and frontline towns and villages, it is often difficult to find even basic veterinary care. Due to infrastructure damage and the closure of local clinics, people are often unable to take their animals to specialists or have scheduled surgeries performed.
Recently, UAnimals, together with the “Affordable Sterilization” project team, conducted a veterinary mission in the city of Balakliya, in the Kharkiv region. This mission was made possible thanks to the support of the “Lapka Turboty” charity initiative from the MasterZoo network. During the mission, the veterinarians provided free care to 447 animals.
In just a few days of work, the veterinarians managed to accomplish a great deal:
In addition to medical care, we brought food to the city; volunteers and pet owners received 202.2 kg of cat food and 162.9 kg of dog food.
People kept coming to the veterinarians nonstop — bringing in both their own pets and the stray animals they care for. Aside from surgeries, people often just needed a veterinarian’s advice, since self-medication can harm a pet. The patients and their problems turned out to be very diverse.
For example, a guinea pig was brought in for an examination because it had started losing its fur — the cause turned out to be skin parasites, so the animal was immediately prescribed the appropriate treatment.
A more complicated situation arose for a local resident who cares for 5 dogs and 10 cats. The examination confirmed feline leukemia — an incurable infection that had previously caused the deaths of several of her pets. Now the owner has a clear plan of action from the veterinarian on how to maintain the health of the remaining cats.
The veterinarians also assisted military personnel who care for animals. A cat with an ulcerative wound on its neck was brought in for an examination; the owner believed it was caused by scratching due to fleas. The veterinarians diagnosed a tumor and strongly recommended surgical removal. This case proves once again that making diagnoses on your own without proper training is dangerous for the animal’s life — it should always be examined by specialists.
The veterinarians also performed emergency surgery on a dog that had been hit by a car. The animal had been in critical condition for several days and was diagnosed with an eye injury. Dr. Natalia removed the damaged eye, cleaned and sutured the wound, and prescribed further treatment.
Another house cat was diagnosed with chemical burns on the pads of all four paws; now the owners are treating her and searching for the source of the toxic substances at home, since the animal does not go outside.
It was incredibly touching to see children at the mission bringing animals in for spaying, neutering, and vaccinations. This is the best example of fostering empathy, when children learn from a young age to take responsibility for living creatures.
This trip to the Kharkiv region marked the 10th veterinary mission since the start of 2026 and the 26th since the project’s inception. Thanks to our field missions and our spay/neuter program at partner clinics in frontline regions, we’ve managed to spay or neuter over 51,000 animals.
But the work continues — right now, our team is on a new veterinary mission in another city in the Kharkiv region. You can help us save animals: make a donation or pay for a specific veterinary service for animals on the UAnimals website.
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