Scout, Baraka and Jack The Pets Factor

I'm Stacey Dooley.

Pets are fab, but seeing them sick is no fun.

That's where places like this come to the rescue.

Amazing vets working 24/7 making animals better.

Meet rookie vet, Rory...

Oh, I do love a friendly rabbit.

Smells like dog sick. Urgh!

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

Hello.

Ow, that really hurt!

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

It's a strange new place, isn't it?

..and, always caring, gentle James.

Aren't you gorgeous?

They're the vets with the Pets Factor.

Coming up on today's show...

Cheryl performs some serious surgery on a goldfish.

Fingers crossed, and toes and gills.

Scout, come on in.

Cat, the vet, needs to tread carefully around a nervous dog

with a poorly paw.

Greyhounds are not the bravest of dogs.

They do tend to cry very easily.

And James's patient, Jack Skeleton,

isn't quite living up to his bony namesake.

If he is carrying that much extra weight around on those back legs,

that's probably why he's starting to struggle a little bit now.

But first, we kick off with Cheryl in Essex.

Cheryl sees some weird and wonderful patients at her clinic.

Sorry, that was very mean.

Obviously, I love seeing dogs and cats,

but, as a vet, I find it really interesting

when a different type of animal comes in for treatment.

And today, owner Jane has brought in something REALLY unexpected.

Oh, my gosh! A goldfish?

-Hello.

-Hey.

-And who have we go here?

-Baracka. Baracka for blessing.

-Baracka for blessing, OK.

-He needs blessing.

So how long have you had Baracka?

-About 16 years.

-16 years?

-Yeah.

Wow! That's amazing.

At 16 years old, Baracka is a proper grandpa goldfish

and he loves swimming around his bowl again and again and again.

But some nasty lumps have upset his balance, so he needs urgent help.

-So obviously you're worried about these lumps?

-Yeah.

This one is just really growing and growing.

-This one's been growing. The big one?

-The big one.

In nearly eight years of being a vet

I've only seen a handful of goldfish.

Most people just don't bring them to the vets.

So when you say... How did you find him, upside down?

Upside down this morning.

-Yeah, that's really serious.

-That's very serious.

-He's really struggling, isn't he?

-He is.

Fish need to be able to swim upright

and this lump is making it nearly impossible for poor Baracka.

He must be feeling awful.

-I'm definitely not a goldfish specialist...

-Yeah.

..but the big lump, the key is to try to remove it,

at least that one, so that he can balance.

It's either leave Baracka as he is, miserable

because he can't swim properly, or we try to operate.

That's going to be risky

because the size of the lump means he'll be left with big holes in

his skin that are going to be really tricky to stitch back together.

I'm about to do something I've never done before.

This is a big deal.

So if you're happy with that, we'll go ahead with his operation.

-Yes, I'm happy.

-Yeah?

Fingers crossed...

-..and toes and gills.

-Yes.

There you go.

Let's go to Sheffield now to see Cat, the vet.

-Oh, she likes you.

-Hello, my love.

She is happy to see dogs of all shapes and sizes,

but they're not always happy to see her.

We see nervous dogs...

Come on, honey.

That's fine. You just sweep the floor while you come on in.

..and timid dogs...

You hiding from me now?

..and then you have greyhounds.

# I'm scared to face another day

# Cos the fear in me... #

And cowering in the corner is Cat's next patient,

a doe-eyed softie called Scout.

Don't be fooled,

this docile dog comes with an impressive track record.

This gorgeous greyhound was once the Lewis Hamilton of the dog world

and, even though Scout's retired now,

she still enjoys blasting laps around the local park.

But a sore paw...

..is causing havoc with her skills,

so it's time for a quick pit stop with vet Cat.

Owners Nicola and Andy are keen to get Scout

back up to full speed again.

We think she's got a little corn

and there's something in it on her right foot.

Yes, she's limping quite badly, so we need to make sure that

she's not got any more pain and she's comfortable to walk again.

Scout, come on in.

Hopefully Cat will be able to help.

Like a lot of greyhounds, Scout's a sensitive soul.

Come on.

It seems this dog is not a fan of cats.

Well, vets called Cat.

Such enthusiasm!

Come on. There we go, baby girl. Well done.

Which foot was it, remind me?

-The right side there.

-There we go.

Can you see the change in the pattern on the foot there?

It's that little circle there.

It's like walking around with a stone in your shoe.

It is very sore when they walk on it.

It's definitely better out than in.

A corn is a lump of hard dead tissue that forms in the pad of the foot.

It doesn't look like much but they're very painful

and it means that every step that Scout takes will be very sore.

I'll give you a call when she's done then.

I don't want to leave you!

You look so worried.

Let's head to Bristol now to see what James is up to.

Some vets are dog people.

No, I know, I know. Oh, hello!

Some vets are cat people.

-He loves you, James.

-Oh, I think I love him.

But I just love them all.

But today is a cat day. Georgie is here with her beloved moggy.

This is Jack. He's 13 years old this year.

And he has really stiff back legs,

where he's starting to find it hard to jump

and he's starting to find it hard to go upstairs,

so he is, kind of, bunny-hopping, as opposed to using

both of his back legs. He is a strong boy.

Other than that, he's really healthy, so fingers crossed,

cos he is my absolute baby.

Jack Skellington is just one of Georgie's massive crew.

-This girl is bonkers for pets.

-I have three cats - Jack Skellington,

that's his full name. Phoebe Buffay and there's Rodney.

The dogs I have are Reno and Lola.

Then, two bunnies, Caggy and Milly.

And then a bearded dragon, named Kevin.

Just a few, then.

And some of them are just a little bit on the, erm, cuddly side.

They are quite big.

They maybe could be a little bit less spoiled, but I have become

aware of their weight.

And I have tried to cut down.

They're just big-boned!

But Jack's big bones are causing him a bit of bother.

Let's hope James can help.

So, shall we go on through to the consult room and we'll have a look.

-You want me to carry him? He is quite a big boy.

-I'll carry him.

Oh, my! Isn't he just?!

Wow.

-It is just him in there or is there another one?!

-It is just him.

-How many cats have we got in here?

-Just him.

-OK. Let's not judge.

Let's not judge!

Let's have a look. Here we go.

OK, thank you.

Right, Chappy. So, has he always had problems with his back legs

-or is this a new thing?

-It's been a new thing in the past year.

Let me just have a little feel of his back legs.

-He's never been hit by a car or anything?

-No.

-Never had orthopaedic surgery?

-No, he's been indoors all his life.

Has he? OK. That then makes you think, is this more like

an age-related degenerative condition? Certainly, arthritis

is definitely a possible here.

Arthritis is a disease that's making Jack's joints really stiff

and painful. I can't cure it. But his weight definitely won't

be helping. It's awkward conversation time!

The problem is, you can imagine,

if he is carrying that much extra weight around on those back legs,

that's probably why he's starting to struggle a little bit now.

It looks like diet time for Jack, but he's not the only one

who needs it.

-I could show you a photo of my other cats...

-Go on, then!

-..so you can

-see the weight of my other cats.

-Yeah, let's have a look.

-That's the other one.

-Oh, my God!

-You can see how long he is!

-I can't cope with this!

-He is long!

-He looks like the happiest cat

-in the world.

-He is pretty content.

-He does look a happy cat.

I think...My diagnosis here is that all three cats have

-got you wrapped around their paws!

-Yep. I would say that all 12

-of my animals have me wrapped around.

-Absolutely!

-They do.

12 animals. If they are anything like those cats, that is some

food bill!

Day one of the diet begins here, Jack. Let's start with the weigh-in.

I'm going to say that his weight should be roughly, maybe,

four and a half to five kilos. I'm not going to show you.

-What do you think?

-Eight?

I'm going to say, I think you are going to be pretty close.

-I'm going to go seven. Are we ready?

-Go.

-Oh!

-There we go!

BOTH LAUGH

-We've been too harsh on him!

-Oh, Jack!

OK, so we've got... That's good news.

We're not quite as heavy as we thought we were going to be.

I mean, that is still like me being six stone overweight.

It is for his own good this. I am not backing down.

-I hope to see a kilo off of him.

-You will.

-Will we shake on it?

-Yeah. A few weeks. He'll lose it.

-OK, right. Let's do it.

-See you next time.

-Thank you.

-Bye!

-Thank you.

-Bye.

Later, we'll see if not-so skeletal Jack manages to shed a few pounds.

-Last time, he was 6.88, to the gram.

-Yep.

-This time...

And it's a tense time for Cheryl, when she operates

-on a goldfish for the very first time.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

It's coming off. Come on, Baracka.

Back to Sheffield now, with Cat the vet and Scout the greyhound.

She is here today to have a painful corn removed from her foot

-which is making her limp.

-So, let's get her on the table.

Right! Just have a little lie down. Just chill out! Relax!

Greyhounds are not the bravest of dogs. They do tend

to cry very easily! And make a big fuss about a lot of things.

But I'm hopeful that she'll be brave and that she'll let us just

-get rid of this nasty corn.

-Now Scout is settled,

Cat can get a closer look at what has been making her feel so awful.

It's not an uncommon problem for greyhounds to get corns.

Because... Mainly because a lot of them have been used for racing

in the past so, often, the way that they walk and the way that

they put the weight through their feet isn't quite normal any more.

So it's very sore and painful and they will often limp,

but once it's gone, the problem is solved.

-It's going to be a bit uncomfortable.

-Good girl.

But with Cat's help, this speedy hound

should soon be back on all four paws.

-She's being ever so good, isn't she?

-So far, Scout is putting on

a brave face, but as Cat digs around the hard skin,

she's beginning to get a bit fed up.

WHINNYING

Good girl.

WHINNYING INCREASES IN VOLUME

Good girl.

YELPING

I know!

-Scout wants a time out.

-She's just getting a bit worried about it

and I think we are just getting up to the sore bit, so I am going to

give her a little tiny bit of menthol,

which is going to make her relax.

A little injection and she soon calms down.

A little drifty, drift, drift. That's it, darling.

Now Scout is all sleepy, Cat can finish the job.

Oop! There we go!

So, you can see, it's only really, really tiny,

but imagine walking around

with a little pebble in your foot, like that. It's going to hurt.

You can see it's left quite a big crater in her foot,

but she is going to wear her little boot for the next few days

and then that will heal up really nicely.

So, sporting her lovely new shoe,

a relieved Scout is reunited with her anxious owners.

Loving the boot. Very Jimmy Choo.

A few days of chilling at home

and Scout should soon be back to full speed.

She's so fluffy!

Time to rejoin Cheryl and Baracka.

Cheryl and her team have some very fishy business to attend to -

and fast.

OK, so we need oxygen.

Baracka the 16-year-old goldfish

has developed some lumps on his body. And one is growing so big,

it's affecting how he swims.

Cos he's so small, Cheryl has to use specialist tools for the job.

So, the eye kit is full of tiny, tiny instruments,

just perfect for...

..eye surgery or goldfish surgery.

One of the things that's going to make this so tricky

is that Cheryl's patient has to stay in the water.

We set up three tubs of water. The first one is the water

that he came in.

The second one has been mixed with anaesthetic

and the third one is being pumped with oxygen

so he can recover quickly.

It's so tricky doing this underwater.

The anaesthetic is starting to work.

Let me bump his head down.

-Happy?

-Yeah.

Oh, it's coming off.

And it's off.

But Cheryl now has the tricky task of removing the one on top of

Baracka's head.

-This one looks a bit funny.

-This one's different, yeah.

-Completely different consistency.

-That one just looks

-like an infection, doesn't it?

-It does.

Cos this is like mush, isn't it?

-Most of that's off, isn't it?

-Yeah. Maybe that's it.

Just don't want it to grow back.

Cheryl's done everything she can.

Time to bring Baracka back round.

-Shall we blast him with oxygen?

-Yeah.

-Come on, Baracka.

Now the surgery is over,

the next few hours' recovery are critical.

BARKING

Let's go back to Bristol, to see James and Jack the cat.

This chunky feline's expanding waistline wasn't helping his

aching bones.

Three months later, and time for James to see

how this big boy's diet is going.

-Hello!

-Oh, hello!

-How are you doing?

-Good. How are you?

-Good.

-I have come armed.

-Oh, dear.

-I want to see how Jack's doing.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah, that's fine. Come on in.

-Thank you.

Losing weight is really going to help Jack's arthritis,

but has Georgie been successful?

Right, I've got my scales ready.

-Here he is.

-Hi, there, Jack! Hello!

He is hefty to hold, I can tell you!

OK. Shall we pop him straight on to the scales?

Good boy! Here we go.

It's the moment of truth.

-Last time, he was 6.88, to the gram.

-Yep.

This time, he is still 6.88.

BOTH LAUGH

Oh, Georgie!

Well, at least he's not put any weight on.

I think that's not bad, cos previous to that, he had gone up and up

-and up and up.

-Yeah.

-And now, it's been a few...

It's been a while since I have seen you and his weight has stayed

the same, so we have definitely curbed that upwards trend,

so I think this is good. I do think this is a positive.

Jack may not have gained weight, but if he and his feline friends

are going to shed those pounds, they are going to have to eat less

-and move more.

-You know, when you've got those big cute eyes

looking at you, of course it's difficult,

but you've got to be strong.

-Well, good luck.

-Thank you.

-You're on the right track

-and good luck.

-Thank you!

-OK.

-Bye!

-Nice to see you.

Back in Essex,

it's been a long, tough day for Cheryl.

And there's some sad news about Baracka the goldfish.

I think it was about six hours after his anaesthetic,

he stopped swimming

and he died.

I think it was just too much for him, because of his age.

But, at 16 years old,

he has had a long and happy life.

That is the tough side of vet work.

It doesn't always work out the way we would like it to.

But we gave it our best shot

and you can't do more than that.

Oh, that was such a shame about Baracka.

I was really rooting for him,

but what a fantastic effort

from Cheryl and the team.

Hello, baby!

Now, remember that beautiful greyhound, Scout?

Two months later and the whole stress of the vet's

-is now a distant memory.

-She's been doing incredibly well.

You could see immediately that she was walking a lot more easily,

a lot more freely, enjoying running again.

Good girl!

The pain had gone really, so, yeah, she's been doing really well.

Next time on The Pets Factor...

Come on. Come for a little swim!

..James gets in deep water,

to help a cat with an injured leg.

London Fashion Show, eat your heart out, this is a catwalk, isn't it?

And Rory spots a problem on a young French bulldog called Blue.

Give it a nice little clean like that.

Hey, Tanna, look. See? He loves it.