Tilly, Pretzel, Bambi and Jasper The Pets Factor

I'm Stacey Dooley. Pets are fab, but seeing them unwell is no fun.

And that's where places like this with their awesome vets come to the

rescue, working 24/7 to get the animals well again.

Meet rookie vet Rory...

Oh, I do love a friendly rabbit.

Smells like dog sick. Eurgh!

..every pet's best friend, Cheryl...

Hello!

-LAUGHTER

-Ow! That really hurt!

..the coolest vet in town, Cat...

Come on, honey. Well, that's fine, you just sweep the floor

while you come on in.

..and always caring, gentle James.

Aren't you gorgeous?

-GEESE HONKING

-Argh! You can see what I mean!

They are the vets with the pets factor.

Coming up on today's show...

..Cheryl gets a surprise present...

-Oh!

-..from a piddling Pomeranian.

Thank you very much!

James discovers something nasty lurking inside this poorly python.

We are concerned now, yeah.

And vet Cat gets an earful...

DOG GROANS

..from a very ticklish Cavapoo.

Oh, they're so itchy, aren't they?

First, it's off to Bristol

to join our super caring vet, James.

Here he is!

James has been a vet for almost ten years.

I think he's ready to come home.

And in that time, he's seen some interesting sights.

She's so fluffy!

I'm just covered in hair!

And he's certainly smelled some smells.

This is the real stomach-churner. Eurgh!

It's all coming through. Oh!

I can cope with the goriest of operations, but the moment I smell

something poo-related...

Oh, dear!

..I can feel myself starting to gag.

Bye!

Oh, the joys of the job!

But it's a patient with the dreaded toilet troubles

that's heading his way today.

Come on in.

And what's more, he might be a bit of a handful.

What have we got in here? Look.

Wow!

Animal lover Ella is here with her mum and Pretzel,

a gorgeous royal python.

Blimey!

Ella looks after loads of pets at home and they all love

their daily grub.

BURP!

Except His Majesty,

poor old Pretzel, the royal python.

Pythons eat mice and rats and feed by constricting their prey

and swallowing them whole.

HISSING AND CRYING

But Pretzel hasn't eaten anything for more than two months.

Even for snakes, that's a long time.

Ella is now concerned that there's something really wrong with Pretzel.

They can go quite a while without eating

but it's just not healthy for them.

And he hasn't been to the toilet for a while,

just because he hasn't been eating.

So I think it's time to take him to the vet.

It's a great idea, Ella.

Let's see what James can do.

Well, here we go.

I haven't handled a snake for quite some time,

I think since we qualified.

My experience with snakes is a little bit limited, if I'm honest.

And when I do see them, my first reaction normally is to think,

"Oh, my gosh, what have we got here?"

So will he be happy for me to just lift him right up, yeah?

It's all right, yeah.

All right, let's have a look.

Now, then. Hi, Pretzel.

How are we doing?

He's having a good look at me, there, isn't he?

Aren't you? I love him.

-He's lovely.

-I do. I know.

I think I'm slightly smitten.

He's a friendly fella all right, but James

needs to get to the bottom of what's making Pretzel feel pants.

So when was the last time he had a poo?

-Five months ago?

-Is it? Really?

-Yeah.

Five months without anything going in or out of Pretzel, you know,

at this stage, I can't rule out the worst.

I'm just slightly concerned about, if for any reason,

there's something blocking the passage from front to back, so,

I think the best thing for us to do is get some X-rays taken.

There we go, Mr Pretzel.

I'm feeling nervous but I know that James knows what he's doing and he's

put me at ease because Pretzel's in good hands.

I'm just going to try and stay positive.

The pressure is really on for James now to find out what's putting this

poorly python off his food.

Next, we're in Essex with Cheryl.

Hello, Basil. I know you're a bit worried.

She sees a never-ending stream of puppies.

Oh, you're so perfect, aren't you?

I'm a sucker for cute puppies.

I love them, love them all!

One big cuddle.

Tiny little bulldogs that you can just pick up and cuddle

and Labradors are super cute.

I just love them!

So Cheryl's going to be made up when she sees who's in her waiting room,

a ten-week-old Pomeranian puppy.

Oh, my gosh. Pomeranians are my absolute favourites.

They're just like real-life teddy bears.

Meet Bambi.

The new kid on the block.

A pint-size Pomeranian with a big attitude.

Inside, he's already punching well above his weight

with his best friend, Timmy.

But before he can flex his muscles out in the big, wide world,

he's got a lot to learn. But don't worry, mate. Cheryl's got your back.

New owners Dev and Jessica

take their puppy parenting very seriously.

It's time to brush Bambi's teeth.

And you brush Timmy's hair.

They also look after their older dog, Timmy the terrier.

And although they do their best, including brushing their teeth with,

wait for it, chicken flavoured toothpaste.

Oh, it can be roast chicken toothpaste

and then with a side of gravy,

so that can be your mouthwash.

Mmmm, tasty!

But there are some jobs that only a vet can do, like his vaccinations.

Good boy. Come on, eat it all up.

Young puppies are so vulnerable to germs from outdoors and other dogs,

so this little jab will soon protect Bambi.

But Jessica is nervous.

I don't want to watch him get his injection

because otherwise I'm going to get really sad.

Because he's so cute!

I don't think he'll cry, though, because...maybe he will...

I don't think so because he's a really brave dog.

You'll be brave, won't you, Bambi?

Hello. Bambi's turn.

Hello, Bambi.

Oh, he doesn't want to see me, does he?

I think we need a kiss. Hello.

Stick around, as all the excitement gets too much for nervous Bambi.

He did a wee!

Thank you very much!

DOG BARKING

Now back to James in Bristol and Pretzel the poorly python.

James needs to X-ray Pretzel the snake

to find out why he isn't eating.

Mario, this one is for you.

OK, thank you.

He's drafted in some help in the form of reptile-loving vet, Mario.

I said we should get him in and you are the man.

We need our patients to be very still for X-rays,

and that's not easy when you're dealing with a slithery snake,

but I know Mario and Mario always has a plan.

And he doesn't disappoint.

For Pretzel, Mario's really ready to roll.

Toilet roll, that is.

This is a first for me.

It's a great idea, though, putting a snake into a cardboard tube,

because it won't hurt him at all but it will just mean

that he's then nicely stretched out so we'll get a really good picture.

And those beams will zap straight through the cardboard

to show what's inside Pretzel.

You can think about that the next time you're on the toilet!

Pretzel seems to quite like it but will he stay put?

I've got a very silly question.

-Yeah?

-Can a snake move backwards?

Potentially. I would say yes, but actually I don't know.

Well, best get cracking with that X-ray.

-Right, let's go out.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

But with a body that's pretty much one massive muscle,

a cardboard tube is no match.

That's how keen he is to get out.

Whoa, look at that!

With all his muscles he's managed to break free.

Luckily, the team have managed to get a clear picture.

But Mario's immediately concerned by what it shows.

There's something there.

Would that be, that would be in its GI tract, then?

Yes, that's what it looks like, in the GI tract, indeed.

This isn't really what we want to be seeing.

There's definitely something abnormal inside.

He could have swallowed something or it could even be something more

sinister. But either way, this isn't looking very good.

I think at this stage, we are concerned now, yeah.

I think we're going to have to think about how to unblock this.

Whether we go in surgically or try medication...

..but, yeah, we need to come up with a plan.

Stay with us as James and Mario discover the shocking cause

of Pretzel's blockage.

Oh, there we go. Well...

And Cheryl gives brave Bambi his jabs.

Oh, baby.

But it's all too much for owner Jessica.

I don't even want to look at him.

I'm going to face the wall.

Next, we're in Sheffield with Cat the vet.

Good boy.

Home is this family farm that she shares with her two children,

husband Dave and countless animals.

They're cheeky baby lambs, aren't they?

Aww, look!

And this morning, three-year-old Felicity is helping out

with the first chore of the day.

Right, let's go see if we can find any eggs.

HENS CLUCKING

I may work in the city, but I grew up in the country

and that's where I got my love of animals.

Give her a big cuddle.

Aww!

-That's nice. Do you like her?

-Yeah.

Mmm, you can't beat eggs for breakfast.

One, two...

..three.

And what number is this?

-Four.

-Four. Good job.

But for Cat, it's time to leave the tranquillity of the farm behind.

She's off to get vetting.

BARKING

MEOWING

From the minute I walk through the door at work, it's so full-on.

-BARKING

-But I love it.

HOWLING

And the winner of this bonkers bark-off is Elliot's dog,

Jasper the Cavapoo.

GROWLING

This funny old noise seems to be stemming from a problem

with those big, floppy ears.

He just started itching them on the side of doors and the basket.

He just shakes his head a lot and he's a bit more vocal...

HOWLING

..when you touch his ears, as you can tell. He's very sensitive.

You're not kidding. It looks like it's driving him round the bend.

Something tells me Jasper is going to be a bit of a handful.

Jasper! Hiya, come on in.

Let's have a look down these lugholes, then.

So if you just hold him, give him a big, old cuddle for me.

That's perfect.

-GROWLING

-It's not even in your ear, yet!

GROWLING

Oh, they're so itchy, aren't they?

You're such a funny onion, you, aren't you?

Give it a good rub. Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, that hits the spot.

There it is.

It's difficult to imagine how irritated he must be

with all that infection in there.

-GROWLING

-Oh, I know!

You've got hairy, old ears, haven't you, Jasper, mate?

But in order to get the medicine in, I've got to clear all that hair out.

For this, she's going to need some back up

in the form of vet nurse, Ashley.

Now obviously, only the pros should go poking around in dogs' ears.

GROWLING

Oh, look how much is down there.

Keep a tight hold, Ashley!

It's so itchy and ticklish.

Look how sore he is.

Look, he is quite...

-Can you see those little pink bits on the inside, there?

-Yeah.

Now out with the yucky wax.

It's a bit tickly.

DOG WHINING

But the reward is some nice, soothing ear drops.

See? Oh, it's good, it's good, that, though, isn't it?

Beautiful. All done.

-Right.

-Good boy.

Well done, Jasper!

Somehow, I don't think he'll be rushing back!

You can't be best mates with all your patients,

but at least he's going to feel a lot better now.

There you go!

We're back with Cheryl in Essex.

She's treating her favourite animal ever,

a cute Pomeranian puppy called Bambi.

He needs those vital jabs so he'll be protected from diseases when he

finally goes outdoors.

So we'll listen to his heart.

So if he's a person, his heart's just there, just on the left,

and we can listen to it beating with a stethoscope.

It's going perfectly.

Puppies are great fun but they are a lot of hard work as well.

So this is a critical time when we need to teach Bambi

some vital life lessons.

And what have we trained him? Have we taught him anything?

-He's learned to do his number twos outside.

-Oh!

Number twos, good.

Number ones, must try harder!

That was his party trick!

Thank you very much!

Bambi's probably a bit nervous,

which isn't a total surprise as this big needle's been lined up for him.

So Cheryl needs the whole family's help.

We're going to try to be really brave so that then Bambi

-doesn't become frightened of injections.

-Yeah.

-So who's going to hold him?

-I don't even want to look at him!

No? So do you want Daddy to hold him?

I'm going to face the wall.

So it looks like it's down to Dev and Dad to keep Bambi steady.

And then I'm going to go, "Oh, very brave".

I know, you knew that was coming, didn't you?

Perfect! All done.

It wasn't that bad, was it?

Especially not with that great big biscuit.

What a good puppy.

That little injection might not seem like a big deal to us vets because

obviously we do it every day.

But for Bambi and his owners, it can be quite nerve-racking.

But it's for his own good.

Oh, he's already going sleepy.

I think he'll have to stay the night with me.

-No!

-That's the best part of my day,

taking other people's puppies, definitely!

You do that?!

Oh, not really!

Stop teasing, Cheryl! You're making Bambi nervous.

He did a wee!

He's doing another wee!

You can definitely take him home now!

Looks like Bambi hasn't quite got to grips with the toilet training,

so Cheryl's booked him in for the surgery's

weekly puppy training classes.

So you're going to come to puppy party on Wednesday?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Bye!

See you later! Oh, my gosh, I love that puppy so much.

So cute. Pomeranians are the best, they really are.

She's so fluffy!

Back now to Bristol to rejoin James and Pretzel the python.

James and vet Mario have found some worrying lumps

inside Pretzel's body.

There's something there.

They're certain this is the cause of him not eating or pooing.

Now surgery could be the only way to save Ella's precious pet.

Operating on reptiles can be pretty risky.

We really want to help Pretzel but opening him up

has to be the last resort.

But Mario's determined there must be another way.

-Can you feel it?

-Yeah.

-Can you?

-There's something there.

It seems the big lump in Pretzel is moving.

Is it, is it mobile?

-Can you move it down him?

-That's what I'm trying.

Yeah, yeah.

Whatever it is, it's on its way out.

Oh, there we go.

This ain't going to be pretty.

-PARROT:

-Squawk! If you're squeamish, look away now!

Well....

That has to be one of the grossest but most satisfying things

that I have ever seen.

I've never been so happy to see a snake poo in my life.

Can you still feel there's more in there?

Yeah, there's a few more to go.

There's more?

Yeah, there's more!

That's really good. I'm quite pleased with that.

All he needed was just a big poo!

-Hello, Pretz!

-Hey, Pretzel.

-He's thinking, "What on earth...?"

Pretzel was constipated!

And that cannot have felt very nice but boy,

is he going to feel better soon.

I'm really happy with this.

-It's amazing.

-That's brilliant, isn't it?

-Get inside.

-It's not always that satisfying, is it?

I'm so pleased.

Brilliant, brilliant!

I just hope he starts eating now, that's the next thing.

I think Ella's going to be very pleased with that.

Here we go.

And a much-relieved Pretzel is ready to go home.

So he's already been moving around quite a bit more.

Oh, thank you ever so much.

Lovely. No worries at all.

The very best part of my job is handing back a fixed-up pet,

especially when I know how worried Ella has been.

Job done.

I was preparing myself for the worst.

I was just dreading, like, finding out

that it was something really bad but...

I'm glad it's not.

Eurgh, how gross was that?!

But the good news is that Pretzel's back to full health

and he's eating again.

And I wonder how Bambi's coming along with her puppy training?

Shall we have a little bit of playtime? Yeah?

Well, this little cutie made quite an impression.

He's a terrifying beast!

He's a bear!

He's still got a way to go with his toilet training...

Bambi, are you having a piddle? I'll go and get the mop.

..but he'll get there!

And after Cheryl gave him those jabs, he's loving life outdoors.

Good luck out there, Bambi!

Next time on The Pets Factor...

Cat the vet meets her match...

YOWLING

..a feisty feline called Butterfly.

ANGRY MEOWING

And Rory's forced to operate on Coco the Doberman...

We don't know what we're going into so it's all a bit up in the air.

..in search of a swallowed sock.

Oh, you silly dog!

You silly, silly dog!