Episode 9 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...

TOGETHER: ..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 hungry hippos.

A mouthy donkey.

And answer the dog-and-bone, will ya?!

DOG GRIZZLES

Woof!

I appear to have found myself at a place

that is full to the brim of exotic animals.

I am going to need some help.

Where are you Junior Vets?

-BOTH:

-Junior Vets standing by!

I once helped bring some kittens into the world.

I once saw my cat do something very gruesome and funny.

So, a Junior Vet with real-life animal experience?

This sounds promising!

So, Sibarn, er, apparently

you've helped bring some animals into the world.

Yeah, my cat was giving birth,

she was running basket-to-basket

and there was blood everywhere.

Oh! Bit gory, bit gory.

OK, Ameer, give me a bit more of an uplifting story about your cat.

Well, my cat brought a dead pigeon into

my big brother's room and ripped its heart out

-and it went all on the floor.

-Right. Sounds like a horror story.

DISTANT HOWL

OK, well, I think that's the sound of animals needing help.

We should go to it!

This is a big busy zoo with some huge animals...

and some nosy ones!

Oh, zoo vet Matt!

You look like you've got your hands full, there.

-And on we go.

-Don't worry, we are coming to help!

Over here we've got pigmy goats.

These guys are tough.

They'll butt you.

But we've got a job to do today and I'm struggling slightly on my own,

so I'm really chuffed you're here.

OK. Tough guys, eh?

Yeah, you might have sharp, pointy horns,

but you've also got overgrown hooves, and they,

my little pigmy-goat friend, need sorting!

What do we reckon, guys? Are we up for this?

-BOTH:

-Yeah!

You first, Sibarn.

Meet Kim.

Hmmm... I'm not sure I'd want

my toenails clipped with these things,

but without Sibarn's pedicure,

Kim could get a horrible disease called foot rot.

Ewww!

What would be a difficult case?

Well, when it's got really manky and got maggots.

We were really relieved that there were no maggots or gooey stuff -

just overgrown skin.

Put it all the way to number two.

Check this out.

Sibarn's been on the job 20 minutes

and she's already giving Kim a jab

that will protect her from deadly diseases.

And now squirt it in.

Genius. Out.

And we're done. That's goat number one done - you're a star.

You're up next, Ameer.

We got it into a corner, and that's when we grabbed the horns.

Good work, Ameer.

Don't worry, Mika,

he knows what he's doing.

That's it. Perfect. Genius.

Ameer, you did that well better than me.

Oh, you're a natural at this.

Vaccine for Mika, please.

And our feisty pigmy goats are fixed.

Easy.

Woof!

Moo!

Have you ever been on holiday

and had a ride on a donkey?

Yeah? Well, have you ever wondered where these donkeys go

when they need a hard-earned rest?

Well, they come here, innit?

Donkey sanctuary.

Some of these donkeys need some serious vet-work.

And not just any vets, they need Junior Vets!

BOTH: Junior Vets standing by!

My ambition is to be a vet and own my own farzoo.

I love all animals especially wolves.

Arrrroooohh!

My ambition is to be a fashion designer

and work in a animal rescue shelter,

as well as help Jay in his farzoo.

Boom - here I am with my Junior Vets.

But, first, Jay, what's a farzoo?

-It's a...

-Let me guess. It's like a musical instrument, isn't it?

No.

Oh, it's like them fancy coats, innit? Farzoo!

-No.

-What is it, then?

It's farm and a zoo put together.

Oh, right...! Is that when you get

double animals like a PIRAFFE or something?

Like, half-giraffe, half pig? No.

-No.

-Romi, I hear you like looking after animals, yeah?

Yeah, except for rodents.

-You don't like rodents?

-No, they're disgusting.

-Not even cute ones, like gerbils?

-They're all right.

-It's a rodent, though.

-I don't know.

-Are you all right with donkeys?

-Yeah.

-Oh, good.

Let's go and mend some donkeys.

That way!

SHE LAUGHS

Roll up, roll up

at the Sidmouth Sanctuary for important donkey work.

We're vetting with Vicki today,

sorting poorly, rescued, ill and old donkeys.

But first we have to help a superhero donkey called Daisy.

PHONE RINGS

Hello.

You what? That's not a superhero mask?

Daisy has an ulcer in her eye?!

Ouch.

Poor Daisy, that must be painful.

We need to examine her eye and then deliver some treatment.

Now, here is the deal,

Daisy goes nowhere without her best friend Mildred.

These two are always side-by-side.

So if Daisy came in on her own into the hospital

she'd get really stressed and probably poorly.

So she has to have Mildred with her.

Daisy....

Two weeks ago poor old Daisy couldn't even open her eyes.

OK, now stop, stop...

If you had a mouth ulcer in your mouth, it hurts, as well,

-but if you had it in your eye...

-That's like...paining.

It must be really painful.

Well done, Romi. We've got her in the stocks.

Jay, do you want to take her mask off?

-There's Daisy.

-And we will reveal her beauty!

Er, Vicky, there seems to be a big tube in Daisy's eye?

Do you know what this instrument is, here?

Is it to put liquid into her eyes?

Yes, exactly. We can just put the drops in here

and you'll see it come out into her eye.

What a great idea. Don't worry, Daisy,

I think the Junior Vets will look after you well.

Woof!

We love wacky questions and we will always do our best to answer them.

Wacky? What's wrong with that? So, go on, ask away, Kai.

I've heard that ducks' quacks don't echo.

Even if they're in the most echoing atmosphere or environment.

And I was just wondering if that is true.

Ooh, a curious question!

A wacky, quacky question!

Leave it with us, Kai.

Ah, there they are!

Junior Vets Sibarn and Ameer are on their rounds.

Who's up next, keeper Sam?

What do you think of these babies?

Oh, wow.

This is called Ernie.

Hippo Ernie is recovering from an infection in his gums.

So he, mum Betty, and auntie Godzilla

have been brought into an indoor enclosure today for a checkup.

Ahhh! Ernie looks really cute, doesn't he?

Hippos are vegetarians, so they're real softies, right, Sam?

They're very, very territorial.

Now, these guys don't eat meat

but they will kill things

to get them out of their way if they're in the way.

Ah.

So that's quite a dangerous animal to be anywhere near.

OK... Not so cute, then!

Adult hippos have at least 32 teeth

including these two huge tusks.

In fact, Ernie's mum and auntie have the same amount of teeth

as grown-up humans.

Hmmm... I'm thinking a dental check sounds tricky.

Any ideas, Sam?

Here we've got some apples and cabbage, and this is what we use

as a treat for the training we do on a daily basis,

to get them to open their mouths.

-So, shall we get started?

-Yeah.

-Without further ado...chuck it.

Well done, yay!

Bull's-eye.

With your hand - that's it, perfect. Throw it in.

It's an instant reward, you see? Well done, sir.

You're hippo trainers, the pair of you - well done.

It were a little bit like basketball,

trying to aim inside of the mouth.

I think they're a really beautiful animal.

They're cute, but they're fearsome.

I'm with you there, Sibarn.

Cute AND fearsome.

Aah!

But it's not over yet.

What we need is a toothbrush...

-It was more like a toilet brush.

-Yeah, it needed to be that big -

their flippin' teeth are huge, like - argh!

Godzilla's monster gnashers first.

Quick as you can, Sibarn.

Whoa! Godzilla, we need to talk about mouthwash, girl!

One more go, and then she gets her treats, OK?

-OK, is that...?

-Well done.

Good girl.

Now, Betty as you can see -

if you just give it a bit of a wipe round there...

That's it, perfect, good girl. Well done.

We can see that her gums are really, really good, aren't they?

You're up next, Ernie. Let's see if that gum infection has cleared up.

Open.

-Good boy. Well done. That's it.

-Good boy.

SHE LAUGHS

That's it.

Right, I can see that all that under there,

-which is where all the abscess was...

-All clear.

..is all clear. Yeah.

That's great news - Ernie's not in pain,

and now has a clean set of gnashers.

Cute.

Junior Vets Romi and Jay are sorting Daisy's eye ulcer out.

If her treatment works, she'll be able to go home today.

My job?

Keeping Daisy's best mate Mildred occupied

while Daisy has her eye treated, of course.

Don't worry, Mildred, Daisy's in safe hands with the Junior Vets.

Got a magazine to read or anything?

OK, so I'm going to ask you to put some eye drops in.

These special drops will only stick to poorly bits, like ulcers,

so we want to see the green dye run away, leaving a clear eyeball.

Fingers crossed.

One little squeeze...

I was a little bit scared, cos I didn't want to hurt her.

Romi's face, she looked so nervous,

but then in the end she actually helped Daisy a lot.

You can now see with your pen torch if we are healed.

Is there any green on the ulcer?

-Is it that one there?

-Yes.

It was really difficult to see at first...

But when the liquid ran clear, we could see properly.

That's good news - that means it's healed.

Nice. Hey, I tell you what, Daisy, good news all round.

I'm going to go tell Mildred - wait there.

Hey, Mildred. You'll never guess what - Daisy's eye healed.

I know!

Earlier, Kai asked us this quackers question...

..But I've heard that ducks' quacks don't echo,

even if they're in the most echoey atmosphere or environment -

and I was just wondering if that is true.

Well, Kai, according to the boffins, it is actually...

false.

So, why do people think it's true?

Well, a duck quacks quite quietly...

QUACKING

..compared to, say, a big dog.

DOG BARKS

Oh, I see!

So, the echo sounds like part of the duck's quack.

That's right, my friend.

Case quacked. Hah!

Ha, ha!

Back at the zoo, Sibarn and Ameer are unstoppable.

Wonder what's up next.

Hang about, what's that?

-Ugh...

-Eurgh!

That clearly looks like it's come from a big animal.

All right, let's go and find out what we've got to do.

-Oh!

-Oh, it's a rhino! You were right, Ameer.

JOHNNY CHUCKLES

This is Zimba, that's Balu, and these guys are white rhinos.

I've never seen an animal this big in real life before.

Never seen it!

Same size as, like, them small kind of vans,

and probably a lot, lot, lot heavier.

Yeah, like, a million tonnes.

Not quite a million tonnes, Sibarn,

but white rhinos do weigh as much as an average car,

and they produce more than 20 kilos of poo per day. Eurgh!

Balu's come inside for a close-up inspection -

that means we have to get close up, too - here goes!

And as we're walking past, just stay an arm's length away,

cos this is what they can do -

and although they don't mean you any harm,

they're a bit clumsy with these things on the end of their nose.

Junior Vets - over to you.

Balu has got a slight infection in his skin,

so we've got some cream to put on it,

and we've got some scrubbing brushes, as well,

to give him a scrub all over,

to make sure that there's nothing else on the skin.

And are the rhinos happy about us scrubbing him,

or are they going to start introducing us to their horn?

They'll only do that if they want to have a sniff of you.

They're really, really nice animals to work with.

It's cleaning time!

Doesn't this rough brush hurt?

No, it's very good for their skin - so get in there, hard as you can.

Rhinos like to wallow in mud,

which protects their sensitive skin from the sun.

To be honest, I think Balu likes me, actually so...

So, we need to scrub Balu down

and check in the folds of his neck

to see if the infection is getting better.

Oh, you can see the dust flying off him.

Really felt like he was enjoying it, didn't he?

Yeah, because, like, after we've scrubbed him down,

the skin infection looked a bit better.

If you want to get a bit of cream on the end of your fingers...

Go on, Ameer, get stuck in there.

Bit of healing cream on your sore bits, Balu, and job's a good 'un.

I think it's working already!

Definitely looks like he's enjoying it.

It will help Balu tremendously.

It means that we've had a good feel of his skin

so we know there's nothing else coming on,

and there's nothing underneath the mud,

and it also means that where it's just healing nicely, there,

putting the cream on to make sure it's moisturised properly,

so the healing can continue. Thank you, you've done really well.

To be fair, I think we can be really pleased with ourselves.

We've got one happy little rhino over there.

Little?!

OK, Ameer, I'll give you that.

A happy BIG rhino.

It's looking like good news for Daisy's poorly eye -

Junior Vets Jay and Romi

just need not get those nasty-looking tubes out.

Ouch!

Daisy doesn't want to feel this, so get that area nice and numb, Jay.

Just slowly and gently.

If I made one false move, then it would have hurt Daisy,

and everything could've gone wrong.

Oh, vet Vicky's putting that numbing medicine

right onto Daisy's eyeball.

I can't look!

Does it hurt them when the needle goes through?

It's a very fine needle, so it doesn't hurt very much.

It's tense - the last thing we need is any complications.

I'm sorry about Mildred getting in the way again.

Remember, they said your bum's too big.

OK, Jay, do your stuff.

Perfect. Well done.

Remember, this is Jay's first ever patient.

Nice skills.

Yes - they're going to call you Steady Hand Jay.

Look at that!

Just where my fingers are.

If you cradle her head to you...

Get a tight grip, Romi.

-Very good! She's a good girl.

-Good girl, Daisy.

-All done, now.

-You're all better.

It felt great to take the catheter out, and, like, I was relieved.

Daisy, you're going home.

Kick it! Kick it! Back! Kick it!

A celebration with your best friend Mildred is in order.

Kick it! Yeah!

And shall we call this...

The Happy That Daisy Is Better dance?

Genius, Inel!

You're free!

Have fun!

Ha, I'm sure they will!

Barker, fetch us brilliant videos sent in by pet owners, please!

Good boy.

And, park.

# Doggy

# Doggy lift your tail up

# Doggy

# Doggy lift your tail up

# Doggy

# Doggy lift your tail up

# Doggy lift your tail up and show us what you got. #

OK, Alice, remember, we're sensitive souls.

Nothing too emotional, please.

This is my cat Sooty.

He has a very strange hobby.

He is a very greedy cat, and he likes to play dead for food.

HE SOBS

THEY SOB

I can't believe it!

YOU can't believe it?! What about me?

He's gone!

THEY SOB

Why?

He's alive!

What a fantastic actor!

What...?

-I thought he was...

-So did I.

So did I.

Oh...

Stay safe.

Thanks, Alice. Now, let's see if we can solve a pet problem for Holly.

Why does my dog howl when the phone rings?

Oh, don't worry - I've solved this.

I can speak dog.

Check out the subtitles.

PHONE RINGS

DOG HOWLS

I hope that's answered your question, Holly.

You what? You haven't answered it in the slightest, Johnny!

Oh! It's like this.

Dogs actually howl to communicate over long distances.

Your pet pooch might think the phone is the sound of a distant dog.

I see - so he thinks he's chatting to other dogs.

-Yeah, exactly.

-So, I can't speak dog after all, then.

No, Johnny. Afraid not.

At the donkey hospital,

Junior Vets Jay and Romi are ready for their next patient.

Who's this, vet Karen?

We've been called to see Snowy today.

Snowy's got a loose tooth at the front, here.

Oh, another tooth problem.

Poor Snowy - no wonder you've been...down in the mouth!

That tooth has got to go.

In you go. Oh, what a star. Clever girl.

Yeah, this is dental surgery Junior Vets style.

It's all right.

Get that heart rate checked, Jay.

-So what could you hear, Jay?

-Erm... Beating and it was going quite fast.

-Yeah? Was it going "Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom"?

-Yeah.

I think she's a bit nervous, so we'll give her something now

and then she'll calm down a lot.

Snowy's nice and chilled.

Let's get a closer look at that. What do you reckon, Jay?

It feels weird and I can feel all the saliva.

-And the grass...

-Do you want to have a feel?

-No.

It grosses me out a little bit.

It's like you're wobbling your own tooth.

I didn't want to touch it because it was disgusting

and made me feel uneasy.

It was just... Oh!

You did the right thing.

Eurgh, I hate the dentists and turns out donkeys do too,

so we're preparing Snowy for an anaesthetic.

OK, so she may jump a little bit when this happens and that's OK.

Oh, there she goes.

Brave girl, Snowy. We're nearly there now.

Sibarn and Ameer's final patient is...

only the tallest mammal on the planet.

Now the thing about the giraffes is they can be quite skitty

and this particular group of giraffes that we're going to go

and see today, for you to help me with, have a little baby in there.

Now that baby was only born three days ago,

so we have to be very quiet when we go in there because what

we don't want is for mum to get all spooked and tread on the baby.

We have to be really quiet and professional vets, as you are.

-Are we ready?

-Yes.

-Let's go and see George. This way.

Quietly does it! Don't disturb the cute baby.

It's dad George that we're here to see.

Oh, hello, George!

He needs to be checked for creepy parasites today, but first, a treat.

Show him your cabbage leaves, Junior Vets.

He loves them! How big is that tongue?

-His tongue was massive.

-Yeah, I'd say.

It was, like, really long and black.

Why are giraffes' tongues black?

It stops them getting sunburnt in the wild. These guys are browsers.

If you have to eat for long periods of time to fill up those big

four stomachs that you've got, your tongue's going to get sunburnt

if it's sticking out for all that time,

so they've evolved with these dark-coloured tongues.

So what's wrong with George, Sam?

He's got some little scabby bits on his head

and we're not too sure what they are or why they are.

The scabs on his head might mean that George has lice,

which would need treating straight away.

This calls for a technical piece of equipment called...

sticky tape to collect a sample.

George is going to stick his head through

and then you'll just have to brush that across the hairs on his face.

Oh, perfect. That's absolutely amazing, guys.

Now back to the lab to look for little mites and itchy ticks.

What we're looking for is ectoparasites,

so parasites that live on the skin as opposed to in the body,

and the ectoparasites you would see are little...

They're like a little bug.

You'd see a little round body and some little legs.

Is this making anyone else itchy? Eurgh...

Let's hope George is bug-free. Those things sound horrible.

Right then, Ameer. What can you see in there?

I can see, like, a line and then there's little spots everywhere.

I see the hair and it looks like there is a bit of dust

and grease there.

The fact that you can see just a bit of dust,

a bit of grease in the hair, that's what we wanted.

We didn't want to see anything with legs.

They've done a good job.

Well, George looks pretty happy with that, I'd say.

Well done, Junior Vets!

Snowy's wobbly tooth has got to come out and Junior Vets

Jay and Romi are on hand to help.

OK, so these are the instruments that we're going to be using

to take out Snowy's tooth today.

Good old-fashioned yank and pull, yeah?

Absolutely.

She'll be all right.

Hold tight, Jay. Karen's going in for that wobbly tooth.

It will soon be over, Snowy.

Don't worry - she can't feel a thing.

That's it. It's coming.

There we go!

-All out.

-Can I have a feel, please?

-Absolutely.

There you are.

-Do you want to hold it, Romi?

-Erm... OK.

This is new to me, though.

Karen gave me the tooth when she pulled it out

and I still have it to prove it.

It's still disgusting though!

We'll get some water in a syringe

and we'll flush that out for her so it's really nice and clean.

-That looks really nice and clean now.

-Yep!

Whilst Snowy's mouth is still numb, the Junior Vets need to check

that there's nothing else wrong,

so Romi's got a long pole with a camera on the end.

Actually, it's called an endoscope.

And wait for it...

Smile, Snowy!

So that's the gap in between the teeth

and can you see that it's green?

It's got lots of food stuck in it, so we'll need to clear that out.

OK. Well, it ain't minty fresh in there, but for a donkey with no

toothbrush or hands to hold one, that looks pretty healthy.

-So can you feel her teeth?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

It feels all weird and I can feel her licking my hand.

-Kind of.

-Her tongue's moving.

-Yeah, cos her tongue's moving.

Why do you think her tongue's moving?

Because she can feel my hand

and she kind of doesn't want my hand in her mouth.

Absolutely.

All done, Snowy. Time to get back to your friends.

Come on, sweetheart.

Follow her round the corner. Keep going!

Oh, I think she's keen to go home.

Yes, another satisfied customer.

Great work today, Junior Vets!

Sibarn and Ameer were brilliant

from feisty little goats to cheeky big hippos.

Nothing phased them.

What do you reckon, Sam?

Sibarn and Ameer have done really, really well today.

I was really impressed by the professionalism of them.

They showed real good vet skills, especially in the giraffe house.

They did exactly as they were asked to do.

They're going to make great vets one day.

And Jay and Romi proved that they have hearts of gold,

nerves of steel and stomachs of iron.

I was so proud of them.

I thought Jay was brilliant -

he wasn't squeamish at all with the blood.

He was just up for everything.

I was really impressed with Romi.

You could tell that at points she was a little bit scared,

but she conquered her fears.

I think they've been an excellent team.

I'm not really good with blood.

Like, when I see my own blood, I don't really like it,

let alone other people's blood.

But when I saw Jay do it, I thought "Why not?"

That's what I'm talking about, guys. Team work from the three of us!

-BOTH:

-Two of us!

-What are you talking about, two of us?!

I was there as well.

-Eating biscuits.

-That's what you're supposed to do.

Thank you, Junior Vets. This lot are loving your work.