When veterinary care is accessible, lives change.
For too many animals, cost, distance, and lack of local services still stand between illness and treatment. Life and death.
Thanks to the unwavering support of our community, we are breaking down those barriers and bringing vital veterinary care to the animals and communities who need it most.
This year, your generosity helped us treat thousands of animals, strengthen local veterinary capacity through training, deliver essential care parcels, and protect animals from preventable diseases through vaccination.
Behind every statistic is a story of relief, recovery, and hope - and none of it would be possible without your support.
Below, we’re proud to share a snapshot of what we achieved together in 2025, and why accessible veterinary care remains at the heart of everything we do.
Accessible care for every animal
We helped an animal every 14 seconds in 2025
Providing high-quality, comprehensive care is at the core of our mission, and right now, we are reaching more animals than ever before. Every single patient is just as important as the next, and our veterinary teams take pride in ensuring each animal treated has the best possible experience. It’s more than treating an injury or illness, it is giving them the time and patience to heal inside and out. To make the world a less frightening place for an animal who have no one else to turn to. For our patients to not just survive but thrive, knowing they are safe and loved.
Our International Training Centres (ITCs) act as central hubs for treating thousands of animals. In March 2025, we were incredibly proud to open a new centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is enabling us to reach more animals with life-changing care.
Penny the pangolin was rescued and brought to our clinic in Malawi where she received urgent care - including IV fluids, tube feeding, multivitamins, antibiotics, and parasite treatment. Thankfully, this little fighter recovered well and Penny could be released in the Majete Wildlife Reserve to be closely monitored.
In April, we established a new collaboration with the Zambezi Working Donkey Project (ZWPD) in Zambia. This project aims to grow the capacity of ZWDP to reach donkeys in need, as well as provide practical skills training opportunities for vet students.
Empowering the veterinary community for lasting change
More than 4,800 veterinary professionals trained
As well as treating those animals in need of help today, it is fundamental that we look ahead. We provide training courses and workshops to raise the standard of care in the communities in which we work, ensuring animals can continue to receive care for years to come. Our surgical training courses teach vets how to perform spay/neuter surgeries, with animal welfare at the forefront, empowering them to safely contribute to humane animal population control. We have continued to grow the WVS Academy, our online platform that provides vets across the world with access to high quality resources to guide best clinical practice in any setting.
Whether it a cardiology workshop, animal handling session, or an equine health and welfare programme, we recognise the importance of empowering veterinary professionals around the world to create a brighter future for animals.
During August, the WVS Veterinary Taskforce delivered its first ‘Advanced Skills Development Programme’ for 29 veterinary assistants in Mumbai, India. Participants received expert training in areas such as infection control, patient management, wound management and bandaging, CPR and emergencies, anaesthesia, surgical nursing and fluid therapy. As there is currently no formal veterinary nurse training available in India, providing high-quality training opportunities is essential to ensure high standards of animal welfare.
‘We truly appreciate the effort put into making this training engaging, informative and practical. Thank you for providing us such an enriching learning experience’. - course participant
In 2025, we were thrilled to deliver our first-ever training mission in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — launched at the request of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, who invited us to help strengthen their ongoing Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Over two intensive weeks, our team focused on building long-term surgical capacity, introducing improved anaesthetic and surgical protocols, and enhancing welfare standards within the existing system.
Care without borders
Over 1,700 aid parcels sent to 261 charities in 71 countries
Sending medication and veterinary supplies overseas is where WVS all started. We accept donations of unused, in-date pet medication, and get it to where it can make a meaningful difference to animals living in some of the world’s most deprived areas. Through these shipments, we support hundreds of charities and organisations caring for animals to continue their vital work. Something as simple as anti-parasite treatment can stop a world of suffering for an animal lacking access to care. We are so grateful to all those who have supported our veterinary aid parcels and donated medications or supplies.
Susan kindly donated Duke’s leftover medication which is now helping other four-legged friends from afar:
‘I am so pleased to support this marvellous charity - the only one I could find that was able to make use of the drugs left behind following the death of my beloved dog Duke. I was left with some expensive unopened medicines and was delighted to be able to donate these to this wonderful charity which I found through a web search and which dealt so efficiently with my query.'
Let’s be SMART, Greece:
‘As a non-profit organisation dedicated to rescuing and caring for cats, access to medical supplies like these is absolutely vital to our work. Your support makes a significant difference in helping us provide the medical care our animals desperately need.’
In Antigua and Barbuda, Caribbean, we visited Antigua's Donkey Sanctuary to support with the organisation’s vital work caring for the island’s equines - we were delighted to provide the sanctuary with the country’s very first animal ultrasound machine.
Stopping the world’s deadliest disease
Over 2.1 million animals vaccinated against rabies
More than 4.9 million people reached through our education programmes
A person dies every 9 minutes from rabies, and it causes suffering for hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide. It’s a disease so deadly, that once symptoms show, death is almost always certain. Mission Rabies is our flagship project working to change this.
There are three key ways we are combating this deadly disease:
Education – In countries where rabies is endemic, one of the most valuable lessons someone can learn is how to spot the signs of rabies. We visit schools and communities to deliver life-saving information on rabies prevention.
Vaccination – as 99% of all human deaths globally are caused by an infected dog bite, vaccinating dogs stops rabies in its tracks – protecting not just dogs, but people too.
Surveillance – it is vital that we can trace rabies outbreaks back to the source. Surveillance runs throughout our campaigns, from providing hotlines for people to report rabid dog sightings to tracking locations of bite cases in the Mission Rabies app.
In September, we worked with local partners to deliver the first-ever provincial-wide mass dog vaccination campaign in Laos, with 21,501 dogs vaccinated against rabies.
Read more about our rabies elimination work here.
Ways you can support in 2026
Volunteer abroad – We have many unique opportunities for volunteers to get involved and make a difference for animals in need of vet care around the globe. Whether you are veterinary trained or not, we have options to suit every skillset – and we need you in places where access to care is limited! Discover all our 2026 programmes.
Fundraise to change lives – Fundraising for WVS is a great way to make an amazing impact for animals of all different species, wherever they are in the world. Not only will you feel great completing your fundraising challenge, but you’ll know the funds raised are bringing accessible care to animals suffering. Learn more today!
Ensure the care can continue, become a member – Whether you would like to join as an individual, a vet practice, or you are looking to inspire a young animal enthusiast, we have a membership for you. Sign up now to join a network of people championing animal welfare around the world.
Discover all the ways you can support here.
Thank you
Who is behind everything that we do? YOU. Our wonderful supporters. Thank you for everything you do to make the world a better place for animals. Because animal welfare matters.