Rabies on a leash: 15 unvaccinated pets bit their owners last year in the Mykolaiv region

State veterinary medicine hospitals administer vaccinations free of charge, and the region received another 82,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine

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05 Jun 2026

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In Mykolaiv Oblast, most of the animals that contracted rabies and bit people had owners and were not vaccinated: in 2025 there were 18 such cases, of which only 3 involved stray animals and the remaining 15 were domestic, officials reported during a briefing of the Main Department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection on June 4.

At the briefing at the Main Department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the region, they reported that the number of rabies cases in animals is decreasing: last year 41 cases were recorded, and in the first half of 2026 there were 9, said department head Serhiy Rekun. At the same time, according to acting first deputy head of the Main Department Serhiy Shvets, in 2024 the most cases were in Voznesenske District — 13, in 2025 — in Bashtanka District (20), and that district is also leading in the first quarter of the current year with 4 cases.

Vaccination of pets was named the key preventive measure. In 2025, 108,065 dogs and 73,080 cats were vaccinated; at the same time 221,051 baits with vaccine for wild animals were laid out on the territory of 37 hunting grounds. Since the beginning of this year, 7,617 dogs and 5,551 cats have already been vaccinated, Serhiy Shvets clarified.

“And recently the Main Department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection received an additional 82 thousand doses of rabies vaccine for preventive vaccinations, as well as for mandatory vaccinations in problematic locations,” said Serhiy Shvets.

The campaign for oral immunization of wild animals in the region, which was planned for spring, will be postponed until autumn. To distribute the baits, 141 teams have been formed from veterinarians, representatives of hunting enterprises and local self-government bodies.

By the end of 2024, 38 rabies-affected sites were registered in the region, where 38 animals of various species fell ill; five of them bit people, the service reported. In the first quarter of 2026 there were 8 such sites and 9 sick animals, of which 5 attacked people, and all these animals had owners. In rabies outbreak areas, veterinarians vaccinate all animals regardless of the timing of previous vaccination.

“One animal was domestic. That is, the owner ignored the preventive vaccination and accordingly the animal contracted rabies. In 2025 we registered 39 problematic sites where 41 animals fell ill. These were cattle, small ruminants, dogs, foxes, a marten and a raccoon dog. Of the 41 animals that fell ill, 18 bit people. And only three animals were stray. So 15 animals were owned and were not vaccinated,” said Serhiy Shvets.
“Our veterinary medicine hospitals do this free of charge. The vaccine is purchased by the state, provided, and owners can apply,” said the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Veterinary Medicine Hospital, Oleksandr Kulishov.

Medical facilities in Mykolaiv and the region have vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin, so doctors urge people to seek help immediately after an animal bite. Earlier in Mykolaiv a yachtsman was hospitalized after a dog attack on the premises of the children’s sports school “Atlant”, where dogs were used for security; representatives of the Expert–Public Council under the city executive committee claimed the dogs were kept outside enclosures, creating risks for visitors and pupils. Also in the city of Pivdennoukrainsk, stray dogs bit 34 residents, and one of the animals was confirmed to have rabies.