Episode 4 Junior Vets on Call

Pets, wildlife and all sorts of other creatures are in trouble.

The nation's vets and animal carers need assistance.

And now, thanks to you lot, they've got it.

When we yelled 'help,' you didn't let us down.

And we've built a network of volunteer junior vets.

-On-call and standing by.

-Ready to jump in.

And fix up ill and injured animals.

-Whatever they are.

-Wherever they are.

Today, a huge bear...

cute, homeless dogs...

and a guinea pig scales new heights.

These woods are full of wild animals

but I think I'll be all right.

I'm not really scared of much, me. I can handle...

This was not in my contract. Junior vets, I need your help.

BOTH: Junior vets, standing by.

I'm not afraid of anything,

apart from animal alarm clocks.

And I can handle any animal,

except for spiders.

'Keep calm, Johnny. There's nothing to worry about here.'

BOTH: Raarrrr!

Do not do that! There are things out here, guys.

Right, so, Spencer, what's this about your animal alarm clock?

Well, my friend Charlie here threw his cat at me twice

-to try and wake me up.

-What, you needed that to happen twice?

-I sleep like a log.

-I bet you do, and don't try that at home, guys.

So, Charlie, you've got a fear of spiders. Is that right?

I've just never liked them.

How many legs they have, it just freaks me out.

I don't really trust them, either.

So, are you ready to help out some animals in need today?

BOTH: Yeah!

Well, let's get to it.

Luckily, there are no spiders on the agenda today, Charlie.

The Wild Wood in Kent looks after this lot.

Believe it or not, a long time ago,

every species here would have been found in the wild in the UK.

Now these lovely animals are protected and call this place home.

Junior vets Charlie and Spencer are the only vets on duty.

Oh, and he's the boss.

Peter, what have you got for us?

Right, we've got a big job for you here, junior vets.

Now, these aren't any normal sheep.

These are Soay sheep. They are wild.

But they still get problems with their fleece.

Sometimes it gets clagged around their bottoms,

so it's bottom-cleaning day today.

-It's not the end of the sheep you really want to see.

-No, not really.

-No.

-Or touch.

Hey, lads. This is important junior vet work.

Flies can lay eggs in the sheep's wool

and the hatching maggots feed off their flesh. Yuck!

We need you to wrestle the sheep down, grab the horns

but we can't hurt the sheep. The big thing is we get our hands out

like this. We get in a line and we try to get them trapped

in the corner of the fence.

As we get closer, we are going to try and leap

and grab probably onto one of their horns.

It's like a goalkeeper trying to save a penalty, yeah? Make yourself big.

Got that technique down? Yeah?

Spencer, if you go around that way. Charlie, you go around that way.

Big arms.

'I don't think these sheep know we are just trying to help them.

'Woo!

'And they are fast!'

Did you just see that? See that, they are jumping through the air there.

'Go one, Charlie. Don't get them give you the run-around.'

Whenever we try and box them in, they just jump over our arms,

so it's quite hard to catch them.

Determined to get one.

They are so fast.

'Don't mess with the junior vets.

'We will not be defeated.'

Look, dogs.

Dogs everywhere. Yeah?

And all these dogs need vet help so they can get re-homed

and so they can live out the rest of their lives, well, chilling.

There's one thing missing. Junior vets, where are you?

BOTH: Junior vets standing by.

Mmmr!!

I can handle any creature except squirrels.

We are the dynamic duo

and we are ready to help any animal.

Now, Chloe, because you are brother and sister, does that mean you

have a crazy connection and can read each other's minds,

that sort of thing?

-Yeah, we are like the shadows of Robin and Batman.

-Is it?

-Which one is Batman?

-Me.

-Clearly.

Now, Gabe, I hear you have a bit of a problem with squirrels.

What's your beef?

Well, I was in the park one day and a squirrel mauled my finger.

Look on the bright side. There's no squirrels here today,

purely dogs that are needing vet help so they can be re-homed.

-You up for the task?

-BOTH: Yes.

-Well, let's go then. Come on!

This place takes in abandoned and unwanted dogs

and then find them a new home.

Here's a lovely one. Hello, Bob.

He's a trail hound, bred for a sport called hound trailing,

but poor Bob probably wasn't fast enough and nobody wanted him.

So he's staying here for a while.

Wow, junior vets, you look like you mean business.

Just as well because Bob needs fixing so he can find a new home.

So this is Bob. What we are going to do with him today is neuter him.

We neuter all the dogs because it makes them a better house dog.

It helps them to settle down in a home.

When we first met Bob, he was a bit bruised and battered

and I felt kind of sorry for him.

'Bob's operation will mean he can't be a dad to unwanted puppies.

'There are too many of those here already.

'But there seems to be a problem.

'Vet John?'

Normally, all dogs have two testicles

and they should normally both be in his groin.

Unfortunately, from Bob's point of view, he only has one.

He has one where it should be and he has one that's still up inside

his tummy and if we leave it in place, there is an increased risk...

of growths, of tumours.

-It seems like he has been through quite a lot.

-Yeah.

But I know John is going to do a good job

and fix him up a bit more until he gets a new home.

Bob needs looking after, while he's under anaesthetic.

Over to you, Gabe.

So, will the oxygen tube run through one of these two?

-Can you hear it going in and out here?

-Yeah.

So is that pipe there... Is that where his carbon dioxide

-goes through?

-Yeah.

'Nice one, Gabe. I think you're going to be just fine, Bob.

'So, what's next, John, now that Bob is fast asleep?'

That's the one that's where it should be,

so there should be one on that side.

-Yeah. Not there.

-There isn't.

So, if you can start clipping him up...

Nice work, Chloe. Bob's almost ready.

Take him through and put him onto the main anaesthetic, I think.

Excited.

Hey, have you ever wanted to know

if a weird or wonderful animal fact is true?

Well, ask away and we'll do our best to find out and answer.

I've no idea if this is true because it sounds totally weird.

There's a lizard, apparently, that can squirt blood out of its eye.

It's just so weird. I really want to know if it's true.

-We like the weird facts, Abigail.

-Stay tuned.

We'll be right back with an answer for you.

'Back in the woods, me and the junior vets, Charlie and Spencer,

'are still trying to catch these pesky sheep.'

Go wide. Spread them right out there.

'Come on, sheep. Stop messing about.

'If we don't trim your fleece,

'it'll get matted and that could get nasty.'

Right, they're coming your way, Spencer.

-How are we finding this, guys?

-Really hard.

-So tough.

Just too fast.

'Result.'

I nearly had him myself.

It was really hard trying to catch them but eventually we did it.

-We wrestled him.

-Yes, we grabbed onto it and put it on the floor.

I want you to take off this bit of matted...fleece, just there. OK?

That's it.

Okey-doke.

It gets the poo and mud and all that over it

and ends up getting stuck. It's weird.

-See where it has all been matted?

-Yeah.

That's got to just come off and there we go.

Long matted wool can cause a potentially fatal condition

called fly strike.

When hungry little maggots hatch from the flies' eggs

and feed on the poor sheep's flesh.

-That's it.

-Are you all right there, Spencer?

-That's it.

See that bit there? That's just the one bit we want off.

The sheep will have felt better because it's like going round

and having a lot of dirt in your hair.

Excellent, well done.

So, that looks pretty good, doesn't it, now? They'll be happy sheep.

There she goes.

You did that, junior vets.

Yeah, she's a little straggly but she's clipped,

clean and safe from maggots.

She's showing off to all the other sheep. She is saying thanks.

Are you sure you don't want a haircut yourself?

You need to keep them to yourself, mate.

Back in Leeds,

Bob the hound is about to go under the knife

for an operation called neutering

that will stop him fathering unwanted puppies.

Yay, you look like a junior vet in control.

I'm the anaesthetic man. I have to monitor his breathing

and his heart rate.

His life rests on the vets

and junior vets.

Very cool.

How about you, Chloe? Confident?

I am a bit worried about it.

He's already been, like, under anaesthetic for ages

and I don't want to keep him under it.

Hopefully it's going to be OK.

It will be fine,

if we can find the bit of Bob that isn't where it's supposed to be.

You found it yet, Teen?

It's literally like trying to find a needle in a haystack, isn't it?

-Exactly.

-TINA LAUGHS

Oh, this doesn't look good.

That was a lot of blood coming out.

Aw, smell pretty.

Ooh, I smell organ. I smell organ.

I'm feeling...all right.

I've watched surgeries on the telly, but not in real life.

Ah, you've found it. Brilliant, John.

Bob's missing bit is removed in no time.

It was really warm in the operation theatre, wasn't it?

Yes, it was really, really, really hot.

-All right?

-All right? Do you want to go and have a breath...

-Yeah.

-..have a breath of fresh air? I think so.

Think it just made him feel a bit...overwhelmed.

I had to walk out, because I felt really uncomfortable

and concentrating on the anaesthetic just got a bit too much for me.

It was a bit intense, wasn't it? That's why I stayed out here,

because I knew what was going on in there, and I was like, nah.

So, you're on your own now, Chloe.

I'm so not going to be conquered by this.

Going to do this.

Chloe keeps a check on Bob's heart rate.

Right, number two.

Now, the final organ needs sniffing out.

If I cut through there...

And with one simple snip, it's done.

A final few stitches...

Yay!

Bob is good.

I don't know.

Got a lot of love for this little guy.

And very soon, Bob's up and about and ready to find a happy home.

-Hi, Bob.

-Hi, Bob.

You all right? You OK?

I think he's doing well, Dave.

Look. He can stand up properly.

Yeah! He's looking all right, isn't he? Job well done.

Earlier, Abigail had this beauty for us.

I've no idea if this is true, cos it sounds totally weird.

There's a lizard, apparently, that can squirt blood out of its eye.

It's just so weird. I really want to know if it's true.

Well, we thought Abigail might have dreamt this one up.

But oh, no, America's short-horned lizards can shoot blood

one metre from their eyes.

-Amazing! Really?

-Yeah, it's true.

They do it to confuse predators, like coyotes and wolves.

Wow! Now I have seen everything.

Junior vets Spencer and Charlie

are on their way to see their next patient.

Why are we...

(Why are we whispering, Peter?)

We're going to have to be super quiet, super calm,

and make sure this poor little animal is not going to get stressed.

Ah, it's Bow, the red fox.

The poor lad was found

when he was a cub lying by the side of the road without his mum.

Look what we've got here.

Coming up close to a fox is pretty cool.

Being up that close to it for that period of time, like,

you really get into your mind how small and how cute they are.

Look how big the ears are.

And we do get some problems with these ears

and they need this special treatment.

Eurgh! Bow's got itchy parasites that need treatment.

That's it, get in there.

I think Spencer done well cos he was really gentle,

like, not trying to shove his hand in,

he was like, make sure that the fox is OK and calm.

Over here, Charlie. Your turn.

Foxes have massive lugholes for a reason.

They have excellent hearing

and can make out a watch ticking 30 metres away.

After a couple of weeks,

they should all be cleared and will have a nice, happy summer...

with no mites to bother him.

Bow's normally a gibbering wreck around strangers,

but I reckon he's actually enjoying this.

I've never seen a fox up this close.

It feels like a big, fluffy dog.

Mite-E effort, boys? HE LAUGHS WEAKLY

Those parasites will soon be gone. See you, Bow.

DOG BARKS

At the dogs home, junior vets Chloe and Gabe

are working hard to help homeless hounds find new, loving owners.

Some want a place to chill.

Others want more of a party pad!

DOG BARKS

Five and six-year-old Maisy and Milly are last at Apso's

and came here after their owner couldn't look after them any more.

I wonder what sort of place Maisy and Milly are after?

They were so cute, Milly and Maisy just,

were like really sweet dogs, weren't they?

Yeah, they were pretty cute. They just ran at you.

The junior vets and training adviser Kelly

need to find out if these dogs like people.

A nervous dog might not be great living with children.

We need to see whether they are uncomfortable with being touched,

if they're OK being touched

and one of the best things to have a look at

is usually their tail, or their ears.

Pinned back ears and low-hanging tail

would mean Maisy and Milly are feeling stressed.

Constant communication is, like, the key...

Yeah, they don't speak English, they don't know what I'm saying

but just a nice, relaxed tone of voice just would put them at ease.

Let me have a go, then!

-Sit.

-You don't know that word, do you, sweetie?

-Sit.

Sit.

Sit.

Sit.

Oh, no, fine. I get the message, Maisy.

I'll leave this one to the junior vets.

SHE LAUGHS

Hello again.

Good girl.

And, hey, playing with these cute little pups

isn't just for fun either.

The junior vets are really getting to know Maisy and Milly

to find out what they like and what they, er...

-don't.

-GROWLING

Oh, hello! They've found something!

Easy, Milly.

That grumble there, I think, was over the food...

-Ah.

-..and the fact that she wanted that food, she was giving Maisy

a little bit of a warning to say, this is my tasty stuff.

Move away.

OK, so these two seem pretty chilled around people.

But, there's one final important check to do.

Are they friendly with other dogs?

Come on in, Bud.

So, these guys are keen to go over there and say hi.

So, junior vets, what's your assessment of Milly and Maisy?

New home? Good to go?

Milly is very independent,

Maisy needs a bit more encouragement.

I think they'll need a home where

owners are very attention-giving and caring and nice.

And you know what?

Maisy and Milly went on to find a perfect home after that assessment.

Love your new haircut, girls!

'Our Barker is brilliant at sniffing out your amazing animal videos.'

Have you found some, lad?

-Who's a clever boy?

-DOG BARKS

# Doggy lift the tail up Doggy lift the tail up

# Doggy, doggy, doggy, doggy Doggy lift the tail up

# Doggy lift the tail up Doggy lift the tail up...

THEY SCAT

Hi, I'm Jessica.

Hello, Jessica, and what can we do for you?

Goats can climb trees,

and I want to know how you managed to get up there.

What? Goats can climb trees? Is that true?

Yes, it is. Goats are brilliant climbers.

Well, look at that!

They've got amazing balance.

And their hooves spread to give them a more secure footing.

Cor! Unbelievable, eh?

I mean, what's next? Guinea pigs that can climb stairs?

HE LAUGHS

You know what that was, don't you?

Yeah. A guinea pig....

climbing some stairs.

The mind boggles.

Speaking of which, here's Lily,

and she's got a bit of an issue with her dog,

who seems to have some unusual weeing habits.

And he wees like...that

and people say girls wee like that, but boys wee like that.

Can you please tell me why Eddie wees like this...

and not like that?

HE LAUGHS

That's absolutely brilliant, that is.

Yeah, that is brilliant.

But I actually think there was a question in there somewhere.

Ha! Well, actually, Lily, all dogs, male and female,

crouch to go wee-wee for the first few months of their lives.

It's not until later that male dogs start lifting their legs to wee.

But some male dogs never bother

and it's nothing to worry about.

But no dogs have ever learned how to flush.

FLUSHING

Junior vets Spencer and Charlie are down in the woods today

and, yep, they're sure of a big surprise.

But this next job is no teddy bear's picnic. Think bigger.

Much bigger!

-Do you see what we've got here?

-Yes.

-Yeah. Brown bear.

It's a European brown bear.

These used to be native to Britain, but these two bears,

we rescued them a few months ago.

These two poor bears had a terrible time when they lived in Bulgaria.

People bred these in terrible concrete pits

and then they'd release them

so people would pay to go and shoot them.

When that so-called sport was banned,

the bears were left in this concrete pit for 16 years.

But luckily, they were rescued

and now work is underway here to build a big woodland home

where they will be safe and free to roam.

They'll be out of this temporary enclosure in no time.

What we're doing here will actually rehabilitate them.

They'll start learning how to be bears again, in a woodland,

got a lovely swimming pool we're building for them...

But these guys were virtually starved,

they were really skinny, they had many health problems.

And this is what we need you junior vets

to help these animals with.

-OK.

-Cool.

Today, one of the bears needs treatment for worms.

How exactly do you give medicine to a bear, Peter?

You're going to feed their medicine with this fork,

-to their mouths.

-What?

-That close?

-That close.

I'd never think ever that I would be able to feed a bear, ever.

-Especially with a fork.

-True.

This stuff doesn't taste very good.

So how are we going to give it to the bears?

-Using that.

-Absolutely.

We've got peanut butter, which is great, the bears love it.

And they love the taste of fruit and strawberries.

That's it, as big as you like.

Easy with the medicine, Spencer. The measurement has to be exact.

Now, check it again.

See where the mixture is? We need to go about there, OK?

I think we're there. Perfect consistency.

I hope you're hungry.

Ah, aren't you a lovely-looking fellow?

We're back at the dogs' home,

and this is junior vets Chloe and Gabe's next patient.

Who is he, Kelly?

This is Jasper. He originally came into us as a stray,

so we don't know an awful lot about what happened to him.

Poor old Jasper was found wandering about all alone three weeks ago,

but Kelly has some good news.

-Hello.

-He's got a lovely new home now,

so we need to get him to the vets,

get him checked out and make sure he's healthy and ready to go home.

Are the junior vets ready to give me a hand to do that?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Brilliant.

When I first met Jasper, he was really cute and excitable.

He had a home lined up for him, he just needed to pass the test.

How is Jasper looking, Gabe?

Because he's nervous, is that why

he's putting his tail between his legs?

The tails tucked, his ears are back

and you see this panting he's doing as well, the yawning,

all these things are letting us know

he's a little bit unsure about this situation.

Not ideal. We need to try and chill Jasper out before he leaves.

But he's had a tough start in life.

To leave a dog like that, he'd have probably died

cos he had no food and no love and warmth.

So it makes me really sad that someone would do that.

This fancy collar might help.

It releases a smelly chemical that will remind him of his mum,

and that should make Jasper feel all calm and protected.

Yep, that's worked.

And perfect timing too. New owner Debbie is here.

It's like a privilege to hand Jasper over

because she was just ready to take him home and I was, like, "OK."

Here's Jasper!

-Hello.

-That's your new owner.

Why did you pick Jasper out of all the dogs there?

We just fell in love with him as soon as we saw him.

We can't wait, we've got all his toys in a basket,

we've got him a new bed, we've got everything ready for him.

I feel really elated that he's going to be going to a good home

and Debbie's going to be looking after him with her family

and he's got all the things he needs.

And I think the environment will be a lot better for him,

it's going to help him become a better dog.

Good deed for the day.

-Jasper's yours.

-Thank you very much.

Bye, Jasper!

Ah, I love happy endings!

Ah, Charlie and Spencer.

They are trying to give a giant brown bear some worming medicine.

With a fork. Yeah, you heard me right.

-Now, you see he's just come in there now?

-Whoa!

I don't think that they liked me.

It's a scary job, junior vets, but if anyone can do it, you can.

He's getting a bit agitated.

Here he comes. That's it.

He was in terrible shape when he arrived here,

and illness could finish off.

Look at that! Charlie is as cool as you like.

Oh, he likes that.

I think you are the Bear Whisperer.

That's an awesome nickname.

Do that one there.

He needs every forkful of this medicine down him.

Spencer, your turn.

Getting a fork about that big and just feeding it, it's cool.

It's like feeding a big baby.

That looks like a happy bear to me.

Good luck in your new home, big fella.

Peanut butter breath.

How does it feel for you guys working with an animal so big and strong?

Well, first, I was a bit panicky because of how big it was.

But when we were feeding it its medicine,

it's actually really gentle.

It makes me feel really good

because of how bad its last hours were before.

I thought he'd try and attack us or something through the cage.

But it turns out they're just a big lump of nice fuzz.

A big lump of nice fuzz.

You've heard it here first, guys, that is what bears actually are -

a big lump of nice fuzz.

Thank you for all your work today, junior vets.

Charlie and Spencer didn't stop vetting all day.

You've really helped these animals, lads.

What do you think, Peter?

The boys showed fantastic courage.

And look at the lucky dogs you've helped today, Chloe and Gabe.

And you really impressed vet John.

You have to have a real interest

and a real compassion in what they're doing.

And I think they both showed that to a great extent.

Jasper got himself a new home.

Chloe, how did it feel to hand him over to his new owner?

I felt good. She seemed really happy.

Yeah, that's an experience I'm never going to forget.

Thank you, junior vets, this lot are loving your work.