Besides operating in the veterinary industry, what do the following companies have in common? Blue Buffalo, Boehringer Ingelheim, Galaxy Vets, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Idexx, Merck Animal Health, Nestlé Purina PetCare, SignalPET, VCA and Zoetis.
Answer: They all contribute to the betterment of pets and people outside of their day-to-day business.
Those companies and others large and small have handed over millions of dollars in cash and products so far this year, achieving their gift giving independently, through their foundations or in partnership with other charities.
Here are a few examples:
- Merck Animal Health and the 60-year-old American Veterinary Medical Foundation donated $50,000 each to assist veterinarians and animals devastated in February by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
- Through June 30, Blue Buffalo and the Petco Foundation will match donations to Morris Animal Foundation’s 10th annual Stop Cancer Furever campaign [bit.ly/3VJ6xRm].
- In May, VCA Charities teamed up with toymaker Kong and pet owners to support the Ready for Rescue shelter program.
- Boehringer Ingelheim and Hill’s Pet Nutrition worked with Greater Good Charities to donate food and flea, tick and heartworm preventives to shelter animals.
- Galaxy Vets, founded by Ukraine-born Dr. Ivan Zakharenkov, and donors helped his native country feed and treat shelter animals, bought food for military service dogs, “delivered an ultrasound sensor for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and provided financial help to Oleksiy Prytula, a Ukrainian veterinarian who lost both legs while defending Ukraine.”
What drives such charitable work? Perhaps Lior Kuyer, the co-founder and CEO of SignalPET, which is helping Worldwide Veterinary Service with diagnostic imaging, said it best: “We believe in giving back to the community and supporting organizations that make a positive impact in the world.”