Episode 4 Junior Vets

It's a big day of firsts on Junior Vets. A birth in a barn...

major surgery for this poor old chap...

..and super-huge, super-fast birds need their medicine.

I'm Alex Riley. This is Junior Vets.

Pets...wildlife...

farm animals.

All in need of expert help.

And at Edinburgh's amazing Vet School,

six raw recruits have arrived.

They're working alongside the school's top-notch team.

Ah! As if I just did that!

-And they are being pushed to their very limit...

-Whoa!

..as they help to save the lives of sick and injured animals.

Moo!

Six new Junior Vets.

But I can only chose one...winner.

This year's head vet is...

Hiya, Junior Vets.

-You all right?

-Hey, Alex.

That's it. Budge up a bit.

Now, are you all enjoying mending poorly animals?

-ALL: Yes.

-Nice one.

So here are today's pairings. Nyatepe and Josh.

Molly and Robyn.

So that means that Jamie and Bonte are working together.

And you have an urgent case right here at Vet School.

So we'd better get on with it.

I know, they've all had massive jobs already,

but I'm cranking things up even more now.

Molly's had no problems dealing mainly with farmyard animals so far.

I don't think I'll do that again unless I'm a vet.

So I'm going to mix it up a bit today.

Can Molly keep on impressing?

There we go!

Nyatepe gets his head down,

rolls his sleeves up and just gets stuck in.

He's just really friendly.

He's had no problem so far,

but his next case could challenge even some experienced vets.

Make no mistake, sensational vet work is coming your way.

Good luck, all of you!

At Bowsden Moor Farm in Northumberland,

there's a very pregnant cow in need of some very urgent help.

Her calf needs to be delivered today,

so Josh and Nyatepe have been called in to help vet Graeme

from RentonSwan Vets with the birth.

Does she have a name?

She doesn't have a name as yet, no, but you can probably give her one.

I think Cheddar.

She looks quite Cheddar-ish!

Cheddar? A little bit cheesy, but a fitting name for a cow.

-Take a glove each.

-OK.

-Right up your arm.

I think my Junior Vets might have a good idea where those are going.

-Is it up her bum?

-Well, it's not really her bum.

-Oh!

-It's the female bit where the calf comes out of.

CHUCKLING

Graeme is concerned Cheddar's calf

is too big for her to give birth naturally,

so he wants to confirm this with an internal examination.

Ew, that's right up!

Oh, I knew that hurt!

Right. I can feel two feet and a nose of a calf.

-OK.

-And it's big.

Whoa! This is a massive moment for Nyatepe.

No Junior Vet has ever attempted this before.

-That's it. Good lad. That direction, down there.

-Oh!

We don't want any noise.

Oh, yeah. I can feel some teeth, I think.

-Watch it doesn't bite you.

-Does it feel weird?

Yeah. It feels really weird.

I think I felt the calf's nose. It was quite big.

And it felt... I was so dizzy, like...

That's the first time I've ever come close to, like, fainting.

-I can feel something.

-Good.

Yeah, I can feel feet.

If you pinch the feet, it'll go like that.

And that tells you that the calf's alive.

Yeah.

It was really amazing feeling a cow's baby, um...

-That's not born yet.

-Yeah.

The team confirmed what Graeme feared.

Cheddar's calf is huge.

A natural birth could put her and her unborn baby's life in danger.

We're not going to get her out that end,

so we'll have to do an operation. A caesarean.

-OK.

-OK?

Now, a caesarean means, brace yourselves,

the team have to get the calf out by cutting into Cheddar's belly.

It sounds like a big op. It is a big op.

But it's the safest way.

Is she going to be awake, or, like, asleep?

No, she's going to be awake.

-She'll be no different to what she is there.

-OK.

She won't feel a thing, though.

Not after this injection numbs her side.

I feel so bad.

She must feel really, really scared.

With Cheddar now chilled, Nyatepe clips her side for surgery.

You need to get rid of that bit because that's got muck on it.

That's it. Over the whole area.

And Josh makes sure her belly is completely germ-free.

All the bits that's clipped.

While Graeme scrubs in.

As clean and as sterile as possible.

She's not liking this, is she?

She wants to get it out the back end now.

Mum's all ready to go, so Graeme makes the first cut.

-Oh!

-Is that the baby?

-Ah, no, that's the fat.

-So we're going through the muscle there.

I have never seen this before.

No, not many people have, Josh.

It was, like, the goriest thing I've ever seen.

Because you saw all of its intestines

and it was all hanging out.

Ooo, there's blood squirting out.

How badly could you get injured if she kicked you?

-Quite badly.

-Whoa!

Coming up, can the Junior Vets

help the newborn take its very first breath?

Poke some straw up its nose and get it breathing.

11-year-old Guinness and his owner, Alistair,

are no strangers to Vet School.

And sadly, yesterday, a scan revealed

the poor lurcher has a huge growth inside his body

attached to an organ called the spleen.

Everyone's worried it could be cancerous and life-threatening.

So today, he faces major surgery.

And Junior Vets Bonte and Jamie

will be looking after the nervous patient.

-Hi.

-Hello.

We're going to be taking care of him today.

Great.

And I'm sure he'll be OK.

He doesn't like being in the vets. He gets quite scared.

Don't worry, Alistair, your old pal is in safe hands.

My Junior Vets know just how important today's operation is.

We're going to take him away now for surgery

and spend a bit of time with him.

-OK?

-OK. Thank you.

He had a big, huge tumour on his spleen.

Spleen, yeah. And we had to perform...

So we had to remove that, perform an operation to remove that.

-A splenectomy.

-Yeah.

You're taking part in major surgery.

I know. It's really exciting, but nerve-racking as well, yeah.

How dangerous an operation is this?

I expect it's quite dangerous if it goes wrong.

-But I don't think it's too bad.

-Yeah.

And what will happen if Guinness doesn't get this operation?

Well, I think it might spread and get bigger.

Because he can't feel it or anything.

It doesn't affect him right now. He's a really good dog, though.

First, the team need to prepare their patient for surgery.

One, two, three. All right, sweetheart.

-Aw!

-There's a good boy. All right.

He's given an injection to make him unconscious.

-Good boy.

-All done.

He's a bit nervous, but Bonte does a fab job of settling him.

Guinness? You're such a good boy!

As the anaesthetic works its magic,

Jamie keeps watch on his patient's heart rate,

while Bonte helps put a tube into his airways

-so he can breathe during his op.

-Perfect.

A quick clip and tummy trim...

..and then the team scrub in for surgery.

So, if you want to open your brush?

This careful process makes sure no dangerous germs

are brought into the operating theatre.

Don't touch anything, Junior Vets.

Dry those hands and carefully drop your towels on the floor.

Chuck that away.

Oh, no, no, no!

N-o-o-o-o-o!

Went to chuck the towel over my shoulder,

it went on the table and contaminated it.

-Yeah. That was...a bit awkward.

-Yeah.

Everything on the table will now have to be replaced.

Come on, Junior Vets, there can be no more slip-ups from now.

This is sterile, as well.

The operation to remove Guinness's massive growth

and spleen must get underway.

Hands up, hands up. That's it.

And later, how are these two going to cope

with the pressure of major surgery?

If at any point you don't feel well, you need to tell us.

Robyn and Molly have been called down

to Lightwater Valley theme park near Ripon,

where some very unusual birds need their vet skills.

My Junior Vets' patients today are rheas.

A couple of big girls called Stilts and Stretch.

They kind of made me laugh but also, I was a bit nervous

because I was, like... Because they were so big and...

Yeah, it was just a bit scary.

-They're amazing!

-They're really tall!

-They're like them emu things that you get in deserts.

-Yeah!

Good spot, Robyn. Rheas are related to emus

and ostriches and come from South America.

These birds are at risk from tiny parasites called gapeworm

that can be deadly to rheas.

So today, vet Jason from Westway Vets

is hoping to give them some medicine to stop them getting worms.

-How big do they grow?

-They are about fully-grown at the minute.

The birds can get to, um...when stood upright

with their heads up, nearly five foot.

-That's taller than us.

-I know!

Stilts and Stretch are 18 months old

and they've never needed vet treatment...until today.

We plan to give them a full health check

and we'll attempt to worm them, as well.

And also, before we can do anything, we need to catch them,

which will be very interesting.

Are we actually going to catch them?

-Well...

-We'll try!

-The proof is in the pudding.

It's quite interesting because it was, like, the first time

those two had ever had, like, a vet check.

Extra help over here, please.

Oh, good. Expert bird handlers, Chris and Phil,

from the park's bird-of-prey centre.

Is this going to be easy?

I'm not too sure, Robyn, how easy it's going to be

because it's the first time we've ever done it.

-So we're not too sure what the rheas are going to do.

-Ever?

No, we've never done it before.

So it's new to us and it's new to them.

-So, does that make you more nervous?

-Yeah.

-Well, don't be, OK? We're professionals.

-OK.

-It makes me more excited.

-Excellent.

Right, well, let's go and try it.

They look like they're quite active down there.

Phew! They're active all right, Chris. Carefully does it.

Rheas can run at speeds of over 30 miles an hour.

And if they panic, those big, powerful feet

can deliver a dangerous kick.

And later, the rheas kick up a fuss

as we try to give them potentially life-saving treatment.

At the small animal hospital, 11-year-old lurcher, Guinness,

is about to have important surgery.

And Junior Vets, Bonte and Jamie

are part of the team that's trying to help him.

He needs a huge growth and his spleen,

an organ that stores blood, removing

because the vet team are worried the growth is life-threatening.

This surgery is going to need focus and concentration, you two.

-It was our first operation we did at Vet School.

-It was, yeah.

So it was quite... I was quite nervous before it.

And I didn't want to do anything wrong.

-Are you comfy?

-Yeah.

This is going to be a very gory operation.

Even experienced vet students faint in ops like this.

If at any point you don't feel well, you need to tell us, OK?

Because I don't want you to fall into the dog.

I don't want you to fall off, away from the dog.

I don't want any injuries. OK? So I'm going to start.

We're underway. Surgeon Sam and the Junior Vets

make the first cut on their patient.

He's an old dog. Being unconscious for a long time could be dangerous.

The team need to work quickly and carefully.

We don't know what it is. We know there is a growth there,

so we know its got a lump on its spleen,

but until we've sent the lump off to be looked at, we don't know.

This your big moment, Bonte.

She's actually operating the cauteriser,

which is a machine that burns through blood vessels

and stops patients from bleeding too much.

Keep holding until it gives you a nice beep.

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

-BEEP!

-That's it.

-Is that the lump?

-So this is the lump.

-Whoa!

Jamie, can you put your hand on there and just hold that for me?

Perfect.

So, did you think that you would be holding a dog's spleen?

-No.

-No.

The lump is almost out. Jamie needs steady hands now.

So Bonte can help Sam make the final cut.

And I just want you to cut from here to the end with your tips. OK?

Now, this is a heads-up. Look away if you're squeamish

because the growth and spleen is huge and bloody.

-There we go.

-Yay!

-You've removed a spleen.

-I told you.

Though the spleen's useful as it stores blood,

a dog can live quite happily without it.

Now the wound can be rinsed

to make sure they get rid of any blood clots.

It's called lavaging.

Yeah, we're lavaging. We're removing any remaining blood.

Fancy! Jamie's sounding like a fully-trained vet already!

It was all right, really. I thought I would be sick, but I'm not.

-You did really well.

-Thank you.

-After 90 minutes, surgery is finished.

-It is quite heavy.

Jamie gets the growth and spleen

ready to be sent off to the lab for tests.

There's the dog we know and love.

There you go. You see?

I thought they did really well.

I think it was quite a gory surgery, if you like,

for them to all of a sudden be involved in,

having never seen anything like it before.

And I was a bit worried that they might, you know,

they might not get through it, but, no, they were both great.

It's not an everyday job that, like, a 12-year-old gets to do.

-Yeah.

-And it gives you, like, a real insight of being a vet

and it's just amazing.

You have to have some skill to do that. And I think we did it well.

It's going to be a good few days before Guinness's results come back.

Good luck, old boy!

Back at the theme park's bird centre,

Robyn and Molly are about to go where no Junior Vet,

in fact, no vet, has ever gone before.

Stilts and Stretch, two big, beaky, South American rheas,

are about to have their first ever vet check

and need worm treatment to prevent dangerous parasites.

Before all of that, they need catching.

We were just excited about it. They were quite scared of us.

Whoa!

Now, rheas can run quicker than the fastest person on earth,

so the team need somebody who can match

rheas' long-legged natural athleticism.

Oh, yeah. I'm up for this job, all right!

Um...sort of.

So, we'll push 'em round here.

Give 'em no means of escape.

No, definitely not.

Coax them towards the pen.

The worming treatment is vital, it could save their lives.

But we can't get near them.

It's not going quite according to plan at the moment.

They're just basically running away as soon as they see us,

feeling spooked and going off into the corner. Oh hang on,

-here they come, here they come.

-You're all right, don't worry.

Are they liable to peck aggressively?

-They can kick, can't they?

-Yeah, kicking's the worst, yeah.

They've got really powerful feet.

Yeah. Those big clawed feet wouldn't half do some damage.

But it's not putting my junior vets off.

Quick, quick, quick, come on, before they run away.

They're running away. Come on. Quick!

And, finally, we get Stilts and Stretch into the holding pen.

That's it. Yes! Yes.

Now, be warned, birds do poo when they're nervous.

-That was a wet one!

-Oh, it stinks!

You know what that is? Rhea diarrhoea.

Oh...

We can't start the treatment until the poo piles are cleared,

so the pooper really does need scooping.

Junior vets!

-Right. You can scoop.

-Thanks!

There's loads of it!

-Beautiful!

-Urgh, it stinks!

-Go on, then.

-Urgh-ee!

Now the tricky bit.

Actually getting to grips with those strong birds so we can treat them.

Thankfully, vet Jason hatches a plan.

I think if all three of us come in this corner

and move on them fairly quickly.

Yikes!

As long as there's no poo in that.

What are you doing with the socks?

What we're doing with the sock is by covering their eyes, it calms

the birds right down and makes it a loss less stressful for the birds.

But, to me, that would make me worse.

Cos if I can't see anything, I just start panicking.

Before Stilts and Stretch can have their worming medicine,

Robyn and Molly need to give them their first ever medical.

-Aw, amazing!

-It's going a bit faster than normal,

cos it's a little bit stressed.

That's one healthy heartbeat.

See that little ring at the back?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, and a tongue. It all looks healthy.

And a tiptop mouth.

-Right. Who wants to have a go at worming them?

-Ah!

Me, please.

This medicine will prevent them getting dangerous parasites

called gapeworm.

Into there and squirt it, yeah. Beautiful. And that's it wormed.

-Can I worm this one, please?

-Yeah.

-There?

-Yeah.

Done. Our rheas are medicined and cleared for take off

from the holding pen.

Stilts and Stretch are fit, healthy and will be worm free,

thanks to the work of my fearless, though rather cheeky, junior vets.

-Alex?

-Yeah.

-You know these, erm, rhea birds?

-Yeah.

They've got quite a look about yer.

Molly, do you think I look like a rhea?

-Yeah.

-Is there any more poo that needs cleaning up?

-Yeah. There's just some there.

-Yeah. Go on. Get on with it then.

Molly and Robyn did really well today. Their enthusiasm was great.

They both wanted to get involved.

I think they potentially could both make great vets.

-It was really good. They made you feel like proper vets.

-Yeah.

When we were like worming them and stuff. I didn't even think

that we'd be that close to them. And putting the worming stuff in their mouth.

Picking who was the best out of two I think would probably be

a bit unfair to them. I think they were both really great.

And they both stepped up to the mark.

At the farm in Northumberland, Josh and Nyatepe are preparing

for the ultimate vet job.

Aw.

Cow, Cheddar, is about to give birth to her first ever calf.

But her calf is huge and it's not safe for her to give birth

naturally, so the team need to help get her baby out by cutting

through her tummy.

What I've found in here is the back legs of the calf.

-Wow!

-That's a back foot, there, and that's another one there.

Jonathon puts the ropes onto the feet.

I've just put a little bit of pressure on there.

Wow! That is so beautiful.

It was amazing cos, like, a new life, has never smelt before,

has never seen before, and it looked really healthy.

Cheddar's calf is alive but she needs help to start breathing.

Poke some straw up its nose and get it breathing.

Josh tickles the newborn's nose.

The calf takes her first ever breath.

She looks really cute.

I want to take it home.

When it started...breathing and it just made me

feel a bit excited and happy.

While Mum is being stitched, Josh and Nyatepe take charge of

caring for her baby.

Brush that on his back and it helps him breathe better as well.

It's such a cutie.

I've got some antibiotics in this syringe. That's to stop the calf

picking up infection and to help fight it.

Over to you, Nyatepe.

OK, squirt it in slowly.

My junior vets have got this calf off to a great start.

But now she needs her mum.

It's OK, Cheddar. You'll be with your baby soon.

Boys, do you just want to come see... You take that leg, Nyatepe,

-and Josh, you talk to her.

-It's slippery.

It's all right.

Look, you got loads of hay there.

The vet team move out so that Mum can move in and meet her calf

for the very first time.

It's OK, Cheddar.

Cheddar must bond with her baby so the calf

will take the all-important milk

that will protect her from nasty diseases.

What we're looking for is the cow to be looking after the calf

and the calf to be looking to get a suckle off her mother,

-so how do you think we're doing?

-Ooh, I think it's...

No, the calf's trying to find the udder to get a suckle of milk...

-Yeah.

-..and the cow isn't too happy about him doing that.

Come on, Cheddar.

They had to get the calf and put it next to the teat

so it could have the milk.

Oh, what if she kicks its head.

-Yeah.

-That might be fatal.

Ooh, she's sucking.

-Does that mean she's bonding?

-Yeah.

If she didn't like it, she would be kicking and jumping about.

She's been very quiet all the way through the whole procedure.

She only tried to kick me once.

It's still early days for Mum and her baby but Josh is confident

that Cheddar will make a great mum.

I think she's got a feeling inside that it's my baby

and I want to look after it for my life...

and love it to bits.

Do you want to go over and see now it's had a suckle and make sure it's full?

Does that feel full?

Oh, yeah. It's definitely full.

When I was finished, I was so proud of myself cos now

I can say to people that I've helped bring a calf into the world.

Both Josh and Nyatepe have been unbelievably impressive.

Very interested in what we were doing

and I would have to put them both on an even standing.

They both did really well in my eyes

and it's been a pleasure being with them today.

Ah, nice to see this lot all clean and germ free.

It's been a day of ground-breaking firsts for everyone.

So how am I supposed to pick out a winner from those top efforts?

-Junior vets!

-Hi!

-Welcome back to Vet School.

The stuff that you did earlier was incredible.

Some of it was unusual, some of it was quite gory.

Some of it was actually unusual and gory.

Robyn and Molly had to first catch and then give live wire rheas,

Stilts and Stretch, their first ever vet check and medical treatment.

Bonte and Jamie became my first junior vets to take part in

Vet School surgery.

Lurcher Guinness needed a huge lump removing but it was no sweat

for these two.

And they don't get bigger than this.

Cheddar the cow needed surgery to help her give birth for the first

time, and Nyatepe and Josh helped her calf take its first breath.

The toughest of calls but vets of the day must be picked.

And the vet that was helping the junior vets on this one

was completely blown away by their performance.

So, our vets of the day today are Nyatepe and Josh.

Congratulations lads. Well done!

That was brilliant, that was.

Truly breathtaking vet work

that deserves, well, a breather and a break.

-I thought we done best...

-Yeah.

-Cos...

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Because... Number one, that's it.

But it's not a sweeping statement to say the other's

were unlucky this time. Great work all round.

Fancy getting vetting yourself?

Well, hit over to the CBBC website right now,

and you'll find a special patient needing your expert help.

Next time on Junior Vets...

things get all flappy and cracky...

..furry and scanny...

..and wriggly and clippy.