The Hartz Mountain Corp. has created "VetPals" plush toys to raise funds for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, which has helped save thousands of animals from hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters.

A portion of the proceeds from each Hartz VetPal sold will be donated to the AVMF. During 2005, the toys are being offered exclusively to veterinarians to use as gifts for their clients or to sell in their practices.

The Hartz VetPals represent six animal species—parrot, cat, dog, gerbil, rabbit, and horse—and wear green scrub shirts with the Aesculapian staff. Each toy comes with a descriptive tag that tells a dramatic animal rescue story and explains the AVMF's mission.

The tag on the toy horse, for example, reads: "I was a flying horse! A while back a real bad storm destroyed my barn and, before I knew it, I was stranded on a piece of high land surrounded by a raging, flooded river. After rescuers saved me using a helicopter with a special sling, they brought me to a veterinarian. She was trained to help in times of disaster, thanks to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation."

"We wanted to honor the dedicated service the AVMF provides to animal disaster victims, and this seemed like the perfect way to get the organization's story out and to contribute to their extraordinary efforts," said Dr. Albert Ahn, vice president of corporate communications and veterinary operations at The Hartz Mountain Corp.

AVMF board chair Dr. Robert Gordon said, "We are very excited about this program and grateful to Hartz for sponsoring it. Veterinarians who purchase the VetPals will be pleased with the quality of the toys and by the fact that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the AVMF."

VetPals are priced at $30 for the complete set of six. Acknowledgment cards and display materials also are available with each order. To order Hartz VetPals, call (888) 281-6400 or, this July, visit www.vetpals.org.