Episode 9 Dick 'N' Dom Go Wild

The following programme features trained professionals

working with potentially dangerous animals.

So do not, we repeat, do not try this at home.

COW MOOS

Did you know that now, right now, there's people

all around the country who are working their socks off

to help wounded wildlife and poorly pets.

And we've managed to get VIP passes for some willing helpers

who are going to get stuck in at the busiest vets,

wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres.

Oh! Ah!

Argh!

Ugh!

On today's show, Leanne and Robert get fully operational

in the vet's surgery. Can they fix a foul ferret

and deal with a dodgy dog ear?

You've got pus on you! Ugh!

He's got pus on his arm!

Jessica and Stephen turn dental nurses at the rescue centre surgery

and tackle a huge horse appetite!

Ooh, he's trying to eat the camera!

And Dom gets all domestic and cleans

the pigsty with the help of my dapper apple jacket invention!

I'm a vegetarian!

It's tough and dirty work...

..but someone has got to do it!

I'm in Newcastle visiting a vet's.

Not only do they put right poorly pets,

they also look after wounded wildlife and today,

they have twins to give them a helping hand.

So, meet Robert and Leanne, a pair of proud pet owners.

My mum has Oscar, a West Highland Terrier.

My dad has got another West Highland Terrier called Hogan.

I've got tropical fish, Robert's got a lizard.

Yeah, Lizzie. Lizzie the lizard.

Yes, Robert loves his scaly critters.

I like any type of reptile.

Snakes, lizards,

bearded dragons.

And unlucky Leanne keeps, ummm, losing her poor pets.

I've been lucky with the fish that I got for my birthday

but before that, they just kept on dying.

Either I overfed them or just didn't look after them properly.

A crash course in perfect pet care is in order here.

We need a full-on, big and busy vet's practice.

Aha, perfect, Westway Vet's, one of the busiest in the north east.

They're on constant call here, waiting to tackle pet problems

and animal emergencies.

Come on, you two, there's a long hard day of animal antics ahead.

Yes, madam, we'll have your cat's beak fixed as soon as possible.

Bless you. Aah, Robert and Leanne, how are you?

Aah, hold on a minute... which one is which?

-I'm Robert.

-Robert.

-Leanne.

OK, I'm Dick, and today you're at a vet's

and we'll go behind the scenes. Are you looking forward to it?

Good. Lots to do, let's get started.

There's no time to waste.

Straight up, our wannabe vets are called to help Jason

who has a cat crisis on his hands.

Unlucky Lucy has a mysterious lump on her back.

-Robert, Leanne, this is Jason and Lisa.

-How are you doing?

-They're going to assist you today.

-Oh, good.

Leanne doesn't like seeing squeamish things,

but what are we doing?

Well, we're going to be operating on this 13-year-old-cat today

and it's going to have a big lump, which has been infected,

removed from its back end, basically.

First, on with some scrubs.

That was quick!

Right, we're ready to rock. What first?

We're going to sedate the cat first.

-Are you going to give me a hand, Leanne?

-OK.

So why has she got a lump?

Well, it's a little lump...

Little! It's massive!

It's been there three years and it's got bigger over that period,

so in this case it needs to be removed.

Lucy has been gnawing at the lump

and Jason is worried it could be the sign of a serious health problem.

He needs to find out exactly what is causing it.

First, an anaesthetic.

The cat has gone under so the operation is going to take place.

I'm not squeamish, I'm a big, brave man.

I'll leave them to it.

These two have important work to complete in the operating theatre.

-Have a listen to that.

-You can go first.

-All right.

They use a stethoscope to listen to Lucy's heartbeat.

If it drops too low, Jason will have to stop the operation.

-It's like a "do-do, do-do".

-That's it, that's right.

A quick shave by Nurse Lisa reveals the size of the infected lump.

Then Leanne and Robert sterilise the area to make sure the kitty

doesn't catch any infections.

Now, if either of you two feel a bit faint,

just give us a shout and Lisa will catch you.

It's time to remove the lump,

and when Lucy's lump is lobbed out later, our vet's assistants discover

exactly how serious her illness is.

But first, it's time to find out what animal adventures

Dom has in store for his volunteers in Norfolk.

Today I'm at the largest horse sanctuary in the UK

where they provide a stable - eh - environment for over 1,000 horses,

ponies and donkeys every single year. HORSE SNORTS

Agreed! I mean, it's such a monumental place to run

that there's no room for horseplay, hey!

Let's meet today's team...

which is, Jessica and Stephen.

Jessica has a long list of pets she would love to have.

A dog, cat, rodents, reptiles or fish.

But standing in Jessica's way is this busy lady.

I just can't clean up after animals at the moment...

I think that the children,

the work around the children is enough.

This is Jessica's mate, Stephen. Perhaps he's got a pet?

No, I haven't got any pets, I wish I did, though.

Stephen used to live in America where he has seen all kinds of wildlife.

I've seen bears, I've seen otters, I've seen crocodiles,

I've seen snakes... Pretty much a lot of animals.

Wow, he's seen a lot, this lad.

We'll have our work cut out to impress these two. Let's think big.

No, I said big.

Much bigger.

That's bigger and better. Right, to Redwings.

It's the biggest horse sanctuary in the UK this.

They currently have 1100 equine -

that means horsey - residents. Sadly though,

when they first come here, they're often all poorly or old and tired.

Redwings is all about turning them into happy horses,

perky ponies and delighted donkeys.

It's perfect for our pals to prove they can be proper pet people.

So Jessica, do you think your mum might be swayed

into getting you a pet, do you think so?

-Probably.

-She could be convinced? I've got a strategy.

If we can show her that you're really good

at looking after a big animal,

then surely it's a cinch to look after a small one.

-Sure.

-Good game plan, all right.

-Steve, your sister does riding school, is that right?

-Yep.

-And can you go with her?

-Yep.

-What happens?

-They push me.

They push you around?

Why, do they push your sister around?

-No, because she rides them.

-We've two things to do.

We've got to show you can look after animals and show you

-that horses aren't just for girls.

-All right.

Right, let's do this. Yeah, come on!

OK we know what the plan is, don't we?

We've got to try and convince Jessica's mum that you are good

-with big animals, isn't that right?

-Yeah.

There's no time like the present.

-You've seen some big horses and now time for a whopper.

-Yeah.

HORSE NEIGHS

What? That's small!

What do you think?

It must be a first born.

-No, it's not first born. That is as big as it gets.

-Really?

Yeah. Do you want to go and touch it?

-Er yeah, sure.

-Go on, go on, go on.

Now that is a small horse...

unless we're stood a long way from it.

No, no, no, it's small!

-Ellie.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm fine.

-Good. Who's this?

-This is Tiny Tim.

-Hello, Tiny Tim.

Bizarre name, I think, for a horse so big!

It looks like Tiny Tim the miniature horse could be about to soften up

our stable mates.

And later, Stephen and Jessica find out what made Tim so tiny!

Leanne and Robert have turned into assistant vets.

Lucy the cat is about to undergo

a delicate operation to remove a large lump from her back.

It's time to operate.

Right, this is the first incision, kids.

-Look all right?

-Yeah.

-Good.

So you're taking the skin off the top?

Yeah, I'm just going to take the skin around the lump.

Have they ever had their heart stopped?

Yeah, it does happen, does happen,

that's why it's important the nurse monitors it all the time

so if something changes,

we can do something about it.

If they can remove the massive mystery lump,

we might get to know how serious Lucy's problem is.

-What's the biggest one you've done?

-What, biggest lump?

-Biggest, yeah.

I've removed lumps that are the size of a football.

-Whoa!

-Oh!

-Some from in dogs' tummies, some from the skin.

What are you doing now?

I'm just dissecting or just cutting around

the lump. One lump.

Got it! Jason spots it's a harmless cyst,

but it's the size of a 50 pence piece!

I think it is a cyst of some sort.

We'll send it off, but I'm confident it is a benign lump,

so removing it should be curative.

Lovely! And with the non-nasty lump

taken out, a few stitches later, it's all over.

I'm sure the owner will be happy with the wound gone.

Yeah. I didn't feel queasy.

Job done! Hopefully Lucy will wake up well and Leanne and Robert

can get her back to her owner, patched up and purrfect!

And the pet care partners

go ferreting around the vet's surgery later on,

but will they get to the bottom of Gizmo's pongy problem?

Is that the worst smell you've ever smelt?

Jessica and Stephen have a busy day ahead of them

at Redwings Horse Rescue.

Before we came here, Stephen thought horses were for girls,

or his sister at least,

but this fellow seems to have made an impression.

Tiny Tim is a miniature Shetland.

He has lots of health problems but all the specialist care

he's getting here is easing his aches.

Now, why is it so small? What's it's story?

He came from another sanctuary

-because he's got some problems with his back legs.

-OK.

If you look he's wearing a very special shoe on his back right leg

-to support his leg.

-Oh, yeah.

And he's only 20 inches tall.

Poor Tiny Tim

was bred to be this small but it's not very good for horses.

He's got quite a few deformities with his mouth

and his eyes are a funny colour. It's not meant to be this way.

This is something you don't encourage?

No, we do not encourage it.

-He's about as big as a dog.

-HUSKY VOICE: I'll tell you what,

-I think he's really cute!

-OK.

Sorry, I'm speaking like this...

but I'm feeling a little HORSE!

THEY LAUGH

-Eh! Feeling a little HORSE! Yeah, do you get it?

-Yeah.

You were going to ask your mum for a small pet...

-this is small. Do you think it would fit in your house?

-Um...no.

Ellie, all your horses aren't this small.

No. We have bigger ones and we're going to see some

and I was hoping you could help me feed some.

-All right?

-Yeah.

-You're not scared now?

-No.

-You'll be all right.

-Yeah.

OK, good luck. Off you go.

Nice one, Tiny Tim! Jessica and Stephen's day at the horse sanctuary

is now fully up and running...

..And they're on their way to a right stampede of hungry horses later.

Look, there's loads of them coming out now!

But first, I've got a pig of a challenge for Dom,

and it's a little bit fruity.

This business, what is it?

This business? This is me making you a jacket. Nearly done.

Ha-ha!

Ta-da!

You did say this was going to help me out, didn't you?

Uh, did I?

I thought so. Oh, I knew it! Right, what's the challenge?

It's simple. You're going to clean out this pigsty

but because we can't get the pigs out of the sty,

I thought we would distract them with your apple jacket.

Oh, a really good idea(!)

-Pardon?

-What?

-Here's your tools.

-Wow!

Get to it!

Welcome to the home of Molly and Tom, a pair of pet Kune Kune pigs.

I've done some things in my time, I tell you!

The apple jacket has been cunningly designed by me...

Ah! He-he!

..To distract the greedy guzzlers and allow Dom to tidy their sty.

I'm going to shovel your poo. Leave my jacket alone.

These pigs are Kune Kune pigs from New Zealand.

DOM SHOUTS AND SCREAMS

Oi, get on the floor and shovel it!

Get off me, you swine!

-I've got it and I've shovelled it...

-Carry on.

And now it's going in my pink bucket.

While Dom domesticates, a few piggy facts.

Oh, you're back, you greedy pig!

"Kune Kune" means "fat and round" mainly due to the fact

that they are fat and round, just like my little friend!

Did you know that pigs

are one of the most intelligent animals? I didn't!

I'm a vegetarian.

I knew he was the man for the job!

Oh! Oh!

Going well, then!

Argh!

Now obviously, if you ever come across a pigsty, don't climb in it,

especially if you're wearing a jacket covered in apples.

Yes, top job and don't worry, next time, it's my challenge.

Oh, yes, it is, isn't it!

-It just so happens that I have actually made a jacket for you.

-Ah!

Oh! Not the monkey enclosure!

Remember Jessica and Stephen from London town?

Well, they're raring to go at the horse sanctuary

and things are about to get very, very busy.

Right, guys, so we have horses on-site here that need feeding

every day. What do horses eat?

-Hay!

-Yes, so what we're going to do is we're going to take those nets

behind you and we're going to fill them up,

weigh them and take them out to the horses.

The 1,000 horses here nosh around 3,500kg of grass every single day.

Feeding them is going to be a massive task for our horse-helpers.

Is there anything other than hay?

Yes. Well, they mostly eat grass.

-They graze for nearly 16 hours every day.

-Wow!

Sometimes we give them treats too, like carrots and apples.

Yep, a big job this time for just a little horseplay.

No, not that kind of little horse...

Sorry, Tiny Tim... this kind of horseplay!

OK, onwards, we have a tractor to catch.

With over 300 acres of fields and paddocks here,

this really is the only way to travel and this sanctuary isn't only home

to horses, oh, no, there are dozens of dejected donkeys

and plenty of poorly ponies here too

and they all need feeding on a daily basis.

What you need to do now, guys, is pick this up and chuck it

over that fence.

Is all that hay just for one horse?

No, look they're all coming to get their food now.

Look, there's loads of them coming out now!

HAY, HAY, feeding done, now it's time to meet

one of the biggest breeds that Redwings has to offer.

This is Boo, and he's one of the biggest horses at the sanctuary.

-How old is Boo?

-How old is Boo?

-Yes.

-Boo is 11 years old.

-Can you see anything special?

-He's got one eye.

Yep, he has only got one eye.

If you look at this eye as well, Boo is completely blind.

He lost this eye to cancer

and then he got shot with an air rifle in his other eye.

Poor Boo! Without the protection he gets here

and this kind of regular TLC, he wouldn't be alive today.

What breed is Boo?

Boo is a Clydesdale Cross.

The Clydesdale is a heavy horse, that's why he's so big

and that's why he's got these lovely big feathers on his feet.

Does being blind affect him much?

It doesn't really affect his quality of life.

He is a really calm horse anyway

but he uses his other senses to compensate.

He's always moving his ears

and he's got a really good sense of smell as well.

Ho-ho! Look, he's trying to eat the camera!

He's one hungry horse,

and if we're going to finish this programme,

we're going to need that camera so keep feeding them, you two!

Ooof, down in one!

Stephen and Jessica are turning into a right pair

of hot-shot horse handlers.

In fact, you could say that they're becoming experts in their field.

Yes, field, yes...

But will our pair be up for getting stuck in at the horse dentist later?

Open very wide.

And this is the biggest tooth I've ever seen.

Twins, Leanne and Robert,

have been working as veterinary assistants for the day

in a busy north-east surgery.

Next pet to face the surgeon's knife is Gizmo the ferret.

He's here for two reasons...

first, he'll be neutered to stop him becoming dad to any unwanted babies

and we also need to sort out his stink.

Ferrets, like their cousins skunks, can pong a bit but Gizmo pongs

a lot. We need to get to the bottom of his horrible honk.

It's not a big problem for Gizmo, but my wrong turning could be.

HE GASPS

EAGLE SQUAWKS

-There's an eagle, sorry!

-The eagle's there!

-There's an eagle.

He doesn't want to go out there.

I think we'll take the scenic route to the operating table.

Come on, Gizmo, say hello to vet, Emma.

Right then, so we have to give him an injection

so that he's sleepy

and then put a tube down his throat

and maintain his anaesthetic like that.

If you're OK to steady him, Rachel, I'll draw up the medicine.

Good lad. That's it. Here we go, all done.

-He didn't appreciate that, did he?

-He didn't.

One of the injections stings a little,

so he's felt that a bit and it will take him a few minutes to get sleepy.

-Do you think he'll be OK?

-Yeah, he'll be fine.

MUSIC BOX MELODY AND YAWNING

Right, it's time for his operation and I'm not a wimp!

-Yes, you are!

-But I'm leaving you to it!

-Wimp!

-See ya!

Time to prep Gizmo.

Robert and Leanne clean him up ready for his surgery.

Lovely. Now we just have to do a final check

that he's nice and sleepy.

And the operation begins.

Gizmo is out for the count but it's a sensitive first incision,

as Emma removes his boy bits.

-Ow!

-It doesn't look like he's feeling anything, does it?

He's nice and asleep, unaware of what we're doing.

Lovely!

We're just going to put a couple of stitches under the skin

so that he doesn't have any holes in him

and we put them underneath so he can't chew them out,

because ferrets are good chewers

and we don't want him chewing his stitches

so we hide them away, underneath the skin.

Do you do this like on a day to day basis?

Yeah we do, not always with ferrets

but with cats and dogs yep, every day we're neutering them.

It helps prevent any unwanted pregnancies.

Poor little guy.

Poor little guy, he'll be fine once he recovers.

First problem, solved

and it looks like Emma might have sorted Gizmo's rotten bottom.

So, just inside his bottom there are two little glands

and they store a bit of fluid and release fluid

for when he's having a poo so that it lubricates it

but we're just going check there's no infection which might be

contributing to this bad smell,

OK, so it only takes a second and we just give it a wee bit of a squeeze.

There's one side done. Can you see that fluid?

Be glad smellyvision hasn't been invented.

Is that the worst smell you've ever smelt?

So we're just giving him a few minutes with oxygen

and then we'll get him woken up.

If you don't believe me, check out our film crew.

Oooh, aah, can we wrap this up?

Good call... It's a wrap!

Robert and Leanne have just enough time to catch their breath

before there's more messes to manage later.

Ooh, I think you've got pus on you! Ugh!

You have, you have! No!

But before all of that, we size up a handy horse.

Go on then, open wide, open wide, nice and wide, that's it, good.

-Not you... her!

-Well, why are you asking a horse to open its mouth?

-You can tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth.

-She's six.

How did you know that?

It says it here on the sign and it also says she's got 14 hands!

Of course she hasn't got 14 hands...

she's a horse. Horses don't have big, flapping, hairy hands.

You measure the height of a horse by using your hands,

and each hand is 10cm.

Oh, I see. That makes sense now.

-Yes. Any other questions?

-Yes. Would you like to buy 14 gloves?

Stephen and Jessica have thrown themselves into their day

at the country's biggest horse sanctuary

and they're about to help Diamond,

who is recovering here after being rescued from a miserable life.

Here we are with Diamond. Diamond came into us a short while back,

part of 35 horses that were all rescued

from a riverbank here in Norfolk.

She had a big tooth abscess and her jaw was all swollen and painful

but her trip to the dentist was very different

to a trip to the dentist you may do

because this is the size of the tooth we removed!

Can you imagine leaving that under your pillow!

You'd want a little bit more than 50p for that, wouldn't you!

This is probably the biggest tooth I've ever seen.

-Did you actually take the tooth out yourself?

-Yep.

We used a sort of chisel to actually repel the tooth out through the jaw

and out of the horse's mouth.

The surgery has left Diamond with a hole in the side of her jaw.

It looks sore, but don't worry, she's not in any pain.

The wound needs regular cleaning to stop it getting infected.

Jessica and Stephen can help Nicky continue Diamond's recovery today.

It's healing absolutely beautifully

and there's no smell, so that shows us that

there's not much infection but in order to keep it looking lovely,

we flush it every day which is why I am going to need both of your help.

First, Diamond is given an injection that will calm her down

before the wound is thoroughly flushed with water.

It's amazing you can actually see her eyelids starting to close already.

Yes, it's almost instantaneous.

So now the moment of TOOTH...

Jessica and Stephen help pump

antiseptic water into Diamond's huge mouth.

There you go.

It may look odd, but it's going to help the wound heal quickly.

It's a really bizarre thing to watch!

It looks like a water feature,

you know the ones where you see a gargoyle's face

and the water is coming out?

Flushing complete and it's time to bob on protective jelly.

This will stop the wound from getting infected.

-How are you getting on, Jess?

-It's OK.

She's doing brilliantly.

Considering they've never seen many horses

or didn't like them, they're doing an amazing job!

Two vets in the making, so best to take your phone numbers!

Ha-ha-ha!

But, we couldn't leave without saying goodbye to a little friend of ours...

-Tiny Tim. So, have you both enjoyed the day then?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Now, Steve, are you still convinced that horses are just for girls?

-A little bit!

-Do you think they are just for girls?

-A little bit.

-Oh, OK then.

And, Jessica, do you think spending all day with all these animals

has made your mum convinced you would be able to have a pet?

-Probably... But not a horse.

-OK, we'll that's a start.

If she keeps on saying "no" to you, just keep nagging her, eh!

Ha-ha! Nag!

"Nag" is a name for a horse.

Leanne and Robert have been rocking their role as trainee vets

at a very busy surgery

but there's still poorly patients who need sorting out.

-Are you all right, Jase?

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Hiya.

And they are back. What have you got them doing?

-I've got the final consult of the day. Why don't you call it in?

-OK.

It's a dog called Diesel.

Diesel, please.

In we go. Diesel has a very poorly ear

so it's essential that Jason and the twins have a look at it.

Normally it's very dangerous to approach an animal that is in pain.

Jason knows Diesel well and is absolutely certain

he's a calm, harmless pooch.

-Do you want to have a look at him?

-Go on, then.

Go on, then. What does it look like?

-You see all the gunk?

-Yeah.

-Oh, yeah. What about you?

-Good lad, Diesel.

What can you see, Robert?

-Pus and gunk.

-Pus and gunk?

-Look at that!

-Ugh!

I know we were joking about pus and gunk, but what actually is the pus?

What is down the ear is a combination of wax

-and basically bacterial soup, really.

-Mmm!

-Nice!

-A nice bowl of bacterial soup!

-Mmm!

-It will do you the world of good!

We give Diesel some oily eardrops that should clear up his infection.

Ugh, I think you've got... you've got pus on you! Ugh!

He's got pus on his arm!

-Argh!

-No, go away, no!

-Have you cleaned it? No!

-Wash your hands, come on.

-Is it off?

It's off. Here, there's some special...

Special pus cleaner.

With Robert cleaned up, it's onto another PUS.

Lucy the cat had a lump removed earlier

and she's almost ready to go home.

-Hello, Lucy. Aw!

-There she is.

She's looking a little livelier than before, isn't she?

Yeah, a lot more lively.

-Pick her up.

-Come on, then.

Pop her in there.

Time for owner Anne to collect her cat.

Anne, we have Lucy here for you.

-There you are.

-OK, thank you.

-All fine and dandy.

-Good. She's all right?

-Yeah.

That's good. Thank you very much indeed.

She'll be glad to go home.

Thank you. Bye.

The end of a long, hard shift for our vet volunteers.

So, a good day. Are you still a reptile man?

No. I've changed my mind.

-Do you want a pet?

-Yeah.

-What kind?

-Dog.

-Sorted! And Leanne,

when you got here you were feeling a little bit squeamish about vets.

-How are you feeling?

-I've changed my mind.

I'd be able to go for a job here.

Yes, we have succeeded once again, ladies and gentlemen.

COW MOOS

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