Flo the Pony Ferne and Rory's Vet Tales

Hello, I'm Ferne. Today I'm at a riding stables in London

to meet Alice and Woody, and a beautiful pony called Flo,

who's getting a special visit from the vet.

And I'm Rory. I'm at a wildlife park here in the Highlands of Scotland

to see how their vet keeps their polar bears in top condition.

# Ferne and Rory telling you the story

# Of some poorly pets

# We will take them, show you how to make them

# Better at the vet's

# Vet Tales! MEOW!

# These are our Vet Tales!

# Vet Tales! BAA!

# Ferne and Rory's Vet Tales! #

Hi, I'm Alice and I love horses.

This is my little brother, Woody.

He loves horses, too.

Our mum works at a riding stables.

We love going there to see the horses and ponies.

We help look after them.

This is Flo. She's one of our favourite ponies.

We groom her and pick out her hooves.

We really love riding the ponies.

It's so much fun!

-Hiya, Alice!

-Hello, Ferne.

-Hi, Woody.

-Hi!

-Hello, Natalie.

-Hi, Ferne!

-Woody, are you getting this pony some water?

-Yeah.

-So, Alice, who have we got? Who's this?

-We've got Flo.

-She is beautiful. She's a lovely chestnut colour, isn't she?

-Yeah.

And I love the star on her forehead. Do you and Woody like riding Flo?

Yes, but we can't right now because she's got poorly hooves.

I hear that Flo is getting a special visit from the vet

-today to help her. Is that right?

-Yes.

So, while your mum and Woody see to the other ponies,

-should I help you and the vet with Flo?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Come on, Flo.

-Come on.

This is vet Elaine.

She's been a vet for six years.

She once operated on a gorilla's shoulder

and has even helped to check over a giraffe.

This is Daisy, and she's going to be helping us out for the vet check

-today. And here comes Elaine now. Hiya!

-Hi, Ferne.

-Hi, Alice.

-Hi, Elaine.

-Why are you looking at Flo today?

Flo has a condition called laminitis, so we need to check

how she's doing, and what we need to do to make her feel better.

Laminitis is a problem animals can get in their hooves,

and it can be really painful if it's not treated.

How are you going to check for that?

Often ponies with laminitis can have a high heart rate,

so that's the first thing I'm going to check.

How's it sounding?

She's got a high heart rate.

-Do you want to have a listen?

-Yes, please.

What does it sound like?

It sounds like my heart

when it goes beat, beat, beat, beat.

-But louder.

-I bet it's very loud.

I also need to feel her hooves.

Often, they can be hotter than normal, which is

-a sign that they're sore.

-That feels warm.

-It is quite warm.

Do you want to touch here? What does this one feel like?

-It feels quite hot.

-They are quite hot.

Why are their hooves warmer with laminitis?

Because there's more inflammation in the foot.

That means it's swelling up and would be quite painful?

Exactly, they're called the sensitive laminae, and with

laminitis, they become inflamed and swollen, and that causes

a lot of sensitivity and heat in the foot.

So, she's got warm feet and a high heart rate.

Is there anything else you can check for?

Yes, often ponies with laminitis

also have something called an increased digital pulse.

Just like we have a pulse,

they also have pulses that run down the sides of their fetlock.

-OK, so just at the back of her foot, there?

-Yep.

Would you like to try? See what it feels like.

The back feels like a pulse like we get in our wrist.

-It does, doesn't it?

-So, the next thing that we need to do

is take some X-rays of her feet.

That's exciting. Do you know what an X-ray is?

It's like a camera that shows bones.

Perfect, well done.

An X-ray is just like a photograph of the inside of the body.

-So, do we need to clear the room before you do that?

-We do.

-OK.

-See you soon, Flo.

-Bye!

Once she's put on protective clothing, Elaine uses

a special machine to take pictures of the insides of Flo's hooves.

-So, how did Flo do, Elaine?

-She did very well.

-So, these are the bones right inside Flo's foot?

-Yes.

-That's amazing.

Sometimes ponies with laminitis can get movement of this bone.

Luckily, her bone is still in the right position.

-So, her laminitis isn't really bad?

-It's not very serious, no.

What do we need to do to help her?

She needs plenty of rest.

We need to put her on a healthy diet that's low in sugar,

and we also need to get her some new shoes.

So, for Flo, no treats, new shoes.

-Yes.

-I cannot wait to see this.

Horses' hooves grow very fast.

And some can grow the length of a whole new hoof in just one year.

Not all horses need shoes,

but some horses can wear their hooves down faster

than they can grow, so by having horseshoes fitted,

it helps to protect their hooves.

The horseshoe can also help to stop the horse from slipping,

and special medical boots can support their joints

to help with lameness.

This is Will, the farrier.

A farrier's special job is to sort out all the horses' hoof problems.

So, will you be giving Flo new shoes today?

Yes, but first I'm going to trim her hooves.

-OK, sounds good.

-Off we go.

Will cleans and trims Flo's hoof,

to make sure it's ready for her new shoe.

So, basically, we're just cleaning out all the old sole.

This is just like us cutting our nails.

-She's doing really well, isn't she?

-Even with her poorly feet.

-Yeah.

-Well, this will help her feet, won't it?

-Yes.

Next, Will uses a rasp, which is a bit like a nail file,

to smooth out any bumps or cracks around the edges of Flo's hoof.

-She's going to look like she's got brand-new hooves, isn't she?

-Yep.

-Well done, Flo.

-She's a very good girl, isn't she?

-Yeah.

-We're going to start fitting her shoes now.

-Oh, wow.

And it's going to go crash, crash, crash.

-Is it a lot noisier than us getting new shoes?

-Yeah.

Will shapes a glowing hot shoe using a hammer and anvil.

-Oh, my goodness, that is so hot, isn't it?

-Yeah.

He then cools it down in a bucket of water.

So, that's a brand-new shoe.

A brand-new shoe, ready to go on.

-Are you ready for this?

-Yes.

-Yes.

This is the exciting bit.

Will checks that the shoe fits Flo's hoof.

It's amazing, isn't it? Because you can see that it's so hot

but it definitely doesn't hurt Flo. She's not even flinching.

Now for a couple more adjustments.

And Flo's shoe is the perfect fit.

That's the first shoe going on.

Looks good.

Think it fits her foot nicely. Are you happy, Flo?

Now time for her other foot.

-Can we come over and look at the shoes?

-Of course you can.

-Thank you.

-They look great.

-I agree, I think they look fantastic.

-Great job, Will.

-Thank you very much.

While Flo gets used to her new shoes,

let's see who else vet Elaine has been checking on today.

Vet Elaine is not just here to see Flo today.

She also takes a look at Paddy.

His teeth have become sharp, and they need filed down a little.

And a checkup for little Dotty, too,

to make sure that her eyes are nice and healthy.

Alice, it has been wonderful meeting you and Flo.

I would love to come back and see you and Woody again,

and hopefully Flo will be feeling a bit better.

-Would that be OK?

-Yes, it would.

-Thank you very much.

While we give Flo some much-needed cuddles,

let's see what Rory's up to.

Today, I've come to a wildlife park in the Highlands of Scotland,

to meet a very special bear who has a sore paw.

And right now he's waiting in the vet's enclosure for a checkup.

Good boy.

This is vet Jane, and she's brought me to the polar bear area.

How many polar bears do you have in here, Jane?

We have two male polar bears in here, Arktos and Walker.

Now, polar bears are awesome animals,

found in the Arctic regions of the world.

Their skin is black but their fur is see-through

so they can blend in in the snowy environment where they hunt.

And, actually, one of the bears is ready for us now.

Yes, let's go.

-Hi there, Una.

-Hi there.

-And who've we got in here?

-This is Arktos, our polar bear.

-What an absolute beauty.

What's going on with Arktos today, Jane?

Arktos has a problem with his feet.

He gets something called an interdigital cyst

which is a lump in between his toes.

Sometimes that can get infected

and he did have an infection in there

so we had to treat him for that.

OK, and how did you treat him for this infection?

For the infection, we had to give him some antibiotics, which is

-tablets.

-How many of those tablets do you have to give him?

-Because he's big.

-He is a big boy, he's about 560 kilos.

-Wow, that's a lot heavier than me.

-It is a lot heavier than all of us.

So, he actually gets 15 tablets twice a day.

Your normal Labrador would get one tablet twice a day.

That's a lot of tablets to take.

How on earth do you get a polar bear to take a tablet?

The best way to get Arktos to take a tablet is putting it in a hot dog.

That's his favourite thing to have.

But also what Una's doing is spraying the area with salty water

as a kind of natural cleanser.

Polar bears don't do much grooming.

He doesn't keep it clean himself.

A lot of the other animals would keep that clean, but he doesn't.

How do you get a chance to look at the foot, Jane?

OK, you can see Una gets them to lie down,

and you can get a good look at his foot there

and see the black bit, so that's where the cyst was,

and that's where it's all healing up.

So that's all healed up now, but you've got to keep it clean

-with a spray.

-Yes, and that's Una's doing

with the salty water spray, to keep that clean.

So if that's everything done here, Jane, what's next?

What we're going to do now is let Arktos out into the enclosure

with Walker, and he'll run up and we'll get a good look.

So we'll go for a walk out and we can see him

-and make sure that he's not lame.

-Great. Let's go, then.

-OK.

Well, guys, now that the polar bear's out in the enclosure,

-are you happy with how they're looking?

-Yes, very happy with them.

His foot's obviously not causing him any problems.

-Had his treats, had his toys. Back to normal.

-Great.

Well, Arktos, Walker, it's been wonderful seeing you guys.

And Jane, Una, thank you so much for letting me

-see these stunning animals up close.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Recently, I met Alice and Woody and their gorgeous pony, Flo.

Now I'm back to see how they're all getting on since

the vet and farrier paid a visit.

-Hi, Woody!

-Hi.

-Hi, Alice.

-Hi, Ferne.

-How is little Flo doing?

-Her hooves are all better now.

-Really?

-So her new shoes are helping?

-Yes.

You guys look like you're about to go out for a ride.

-Is that right, Woody?

-Yes.

-What pony are you going to go on?

-This!

You're going to go on Dotty! Who are you going to ride, Alice?

I'm going to ride Flo.

-So you can ride her now that her feet are all better?

-Yes.

-Do you want to come?

-I would love to. What pony can I ride?

-You can ride Dougie.

-That sounds like fun, I would love to.

-Shall we go?

-Yeah.

-Ready, Woody?

-Hee!

-Hee-hee-hee!

Whee!

Hi, Dougie!

So, how are you doing, Woody?

Good job!

That was fantastic.

I had so much fun, and it's great to see that Flo's doing really well.

-Thank you very much, Alice and Woody.

-Thank you, Ferne.

I hope you've enjoyed finding out all about Flo, too.

-See you next time for more Ferne and Rory's Vet Tales.

-Bye!

# Ferne and Rory telling you the story of some poorly pets

# We will take them, show you how to make them better at the vet's

# Vet Tales!

# These are our Vet Tales!

# Vet Tales!

# Ferne and Rory's Vet Tales! #