Napoleon, Sky and Monty The Pets Factor

DOG YELPS, CAT MEOWS

I'm Stacey Dooley, and I love nothing more than seeing happy pets.

And sometimes when our best buddies are a little under the weather,

they come to places like this, where brilliant vets are on hand to

get them back on their paws again.

Meet passionate pet lover Cheryl...

And that is how she broke it in the first place.

..biggest softie of them all, gentle James...

Hello, Stu!

Come on, Smallie, come for a little swim.

..the vet who talks to the animals, Cat...

You are a snorty pig.

Oh, no, don't eat the tape measure!

..and the one with all the best moves, Rory.

HE SINGS TUNE

Oh, look at that.

Oh, wow, that was a snog!

They're the vets with The Pets Factor.

Coming up on today's show...

Rory helps a French bulldog who's all out of puff.

-It's a bit like breathing...

-HE INHALES THROUGH NOSE

..while, like, always having a pinched nose.

Cheryl operates on one of her favourite patients.

I actually bounced out of bed this morning knowing that

she was coming in.

And Cat and vet Nigel are in trouble with nurse Ashley

about their overweight pets.

-Come on, Fatty.

-Oh, my goodness.

It's not that bad!

First, we're off to London to see what Rory's up to.

Fist pump! Nice!

Being a vet, every day you learn something new, especially

when it comes to operations.

Oh, look at that!

I want to see what's in the dog!

This is going to be fun, I think.

Some days, it's a piece of cake.

This is a super-quick op.

But others... they can be full of surprises.

Look at that.

But not all operations are an emergency.

Some are done before a small problem becomes a huge one.

Meet Napoleon the French bulldog

and his best friend and owner Jackie.

Which one do you want? Do you want this one?

Or do you want this one? Have this one.

Napoleon loves playing footy.

He has all the skills.

But he's always left on the sidelines

because he quickly runs out of puff.

SNORTING

And he sounds like he is snoring, even when he's awake.

So Napoleon needs some seriously specialist surgery to help him

breathe better.

NAPOLEON SNORTS

It looks like you want more attention.

Napoleon struggles to breathe

because his nostrils are really narrow,

and as he gets older, it will only get worse.

You're going into hospital, Napoleon,

to make your breathing better.

Don't look so sad.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-Yeah, he's a big part of my life, so...

Sorry...

I just really hope it does work

and I hope it does improve his quality of life.

Don't worry, Jackie - Rory can fix this.

This is a big day for Napoleon.

Obviously, with any of these surgeries,

especially with airway surgery, there is risk.

See you later. Be good.

I can see how much Jackie loves Napoleon.

I'm going to do everything I can to keep him safe.

It is hard to explain because he doesn't understand what's happening.

Come on, then, bud. Yeah, what's through here?!

I know he's in really good hands.

I just worry about how he's going to feel.

As long as everything goes smoothly,

this should make the world of difference to Napoleon.

HE CHUCKLES

Come on, big man!

Now we're off to Essex to see Cheryl.

Yes!

If a patient needs a cuddle, she's always there to help.

One day I want to have a horse, two rabbits,

maybe three or four dogs and six cats.

I just want all the animals.

Sisters Isabella and Lana only have the one pet.

Hello. No, no biscuits today.

But Skye the husky is huge -

I doubt they'd have room for any more.

This much-loved Siberian husky may be called Skye,

but really she thinks she's a star.

# But first, let me take a selfie. #

She never goes far without stopping for a selfie.

Her followers go wild on social media.

But even superstar vlogging dogs need to go to the vets.

# Let me take a selfie. #

She's not been to the vet's for anything apart from

the normal vaccinations and the checkup.

So today is a big day for Stewart and his daughters.

Skye is having an operation to stop her having puppies,

but Isabella is still nervous.

I just don't like the feeling of her getting cut open

and then getting stitched up,

and I'm scared in case she stretches and it comes open.

Luckily for Isabella,

Skye is in really good hands with dog-loving Cheryl and her team.

Hello! Skye's turn! Come on, Skye!

-You guys don't want puppies, do you?

-I do.

-Really?! No...

Don't you remember when she was a puppy?

-Weeing everywhere...

-Eating the chairs...

..exhausting!

I don't think you went to work the whole time.

It's such a good thing that Skye's having this operation.

Of course puppies are cute, and Skye's would be absolutely adorable,

but there are just too many unwanted dogs in the world already.

-What are you guys going to do today?

-We might make cookies.

-Chocolate chip cookies, you wanted to make.

-Yeah.

Make chocolate chip cookies? OK.

You've got to keep busy so you don't miss her too much.

OK, Skye, you're coming with us, then!

Being left on her own in a strange place is a first for Skye.

Skye, you a good girl? Don't worry about her.

When my dog Cerys had this operation,

I was just so worried about her, I was crying all day.

But they just recover so well when they're young.

Come on!

Good girl. I love Skye.

I actually bounced out of bed this morning

knowing that she was coming in.

Skye has an hour to settle down before her big op begins.

Hey, I'm talking to you.

Let's go to Sheffield to catch up with Cat the vet.

Bringing their pets to work is a perk of the job for the staff

at the surgery.

Hello!

I love it when the team at the practice bring in their own pets.

Plum, for example, is here pretty much every day.

She's practically a member of staff.

Today it's vet Nigel's cat, Monty, who is the guest of honour.

He's here because I'm having my bathroom done, so...

He's really, really good. The staff really like him.

I think that he enjoys coming. He's a very personable cat,

and they enjoy going and saying hello to him, giving him a cuddle.

Monty gets plenty of cuddles, all right!

Monty!

But cuddles aren't the only thing this big lad is getting.

A handful!?

Are you...? Oh, come on...

INDISTINCT CHATTER

So, you can see where the problem is here.

Monty is totally spoilt, and he is very overweight.

It's easy to give your pets lots of treats,

but it will give them health problems in the long run.

I think it's just genetics, really.

You know, it's like some people saying they're big-boned -

I think I've got a big-boned cat.

Yeah, hardly eats a thing(!)

I know I'm giving Nigel a hard time about Monty,

but I'm not so innocent myself when it comes to this.

Yes, as it turns out, Cat knows this issue only too well.

Because her own cat...

-Shall we see if Fatty will eat one of his biscuits?

-Biscuit, biscuit!

Well, let's say the clue is in his name.

I actually have a cat that is so fat it's called Fatty.

But he is naturally quite greedy.

See, we all have our excuses.

Come on, then, Fatty.

And vet nurse Ashley has decided enough is enough.

Let's go and find out how fat you really are.

We're going to bring both of your cats with me,

and we're going to do a weight clinic.

I think you'll be surprised how in shape he is.

Come on, then, mate!

I think we might be in trouble here, and Ashley can be quite scary.

-Come on, Fatty.

-Oh, my goodness!

-It's not that bad!

An average cat should weigh around four-and-a-half kilos.

These boys, however, are a little bigger than that.

-Get you settled onto the scales, first of all.

-Yeah. Both feet.

Yeah, no cheating, Monty. He's trying to cheat, Fatty.

7.33 kilos.

-Right, Fatty, it's your turn.

-Come on, then, Fatty.

He was 6.77.

SHE GASPS

Oh, you're just a little flibbertigibbet.

Positively ballerina-like.

I think there must be a problem with the scales.

THEY LAUGH

Ashley's taking no excuses.

This is for their own good - the diet starts today.

Nigel and I both know the problems that obese pets can have,

so we definitely need to try harder.

It is very hard to get cats to lose weight,

and Fatty is already on a diet food.

-But I think his problem is he's super, super lazy.

-Yeah.

-So...

That's Monty's problem too.

They do need to encourage exercise,

so I would start off slowly taking them both on a walk with a harness.

Well, I think I can definitely try and do that.

Can you do it as well, Cat?

Yes, Ashley, I do most solemnly promise that I am going to try

very hard to make Fatty lose weight.

The challenge is on to see who can lose

the most percentage of body weight.

Right, it's on. We're totes going to win.

Stay with us to find out who wins the battle of the bulge...

Shall we see what he weighs today?

Have you been a good boy, sticking to your diet?

..and Skye the husky goes under the knife for a vital operation.

Good girl. That's great.

But first, let's go back to London to see Rory and Napoleon.

This little guy has just been sedated ready for his big operation.

You can see straight away, look,

he can barely breathe through that nose.

This footie-mad French bulldog has been struggling to breathe properly.

Hopefully after today, he'll be back in the game.

-It's a bit like breathing...

-HE INHALES THROUGH NOSE

..while, like, always having a pinched nose.

But he has the top players on his side.

Rory is teaming up with specialist surgeon James.

When it comes to this type of advanced surgery, James is your man.

James starts by widening Napoleon's nostrils.

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

He's got very, very small nostrils.

We're going to take a big wedge out.

That's the first nostril done.

Just going to feel...

Now to quickly open up the second.

That's the nose done.

Napoleon's nostrils are now nearly twice as wide as they were,

which will mean so much more air can get in.

That's not the only work being done to improve his breathing.

The soft palate is the flap of skin at the back of your throat

and it's supposed to stay out the way when you breathe.

But for Napoleon, it's so long, it's covering his windpipe.

That's the palate. Three snips and the palate was out.

Will make a massive difference to his ability to breathe properly.

And we're finished.

If this is a success, it's going to be life-changing for Napoleon.

All right...

Napoleon now needs to rest up,

while Rory gives the good news to owner Jackie.

Yeah, he's doing really, really well.

Yeah, he's sat up, he's looking at us,

and, yeah, he's absolutely perfect so he's doing really, really well.

Jackie is so relieved.

It must be so hard for owners to leave their dogs with us,

but Jackie's definitely done the right thing.

Yeah, the nose is looking really good. It looks nice and open.

And he's breathing really well, nice and settled,

so I think he's recovering.

He's obviously still very sleepy - you can see it in his eyes -

but he's loving the fuss, which is nice.

I'm sure he'll be back playing for Doggy United very soon.

Excuse me, will you calm down, please?

Back to Essex now to see vet Cheryl and Skye.

This stunning Siberian husky loves being the centre of attention.

-And today she's the star of the show...

-Down, baby.

..at the vet's with Cheryl and nurse Jade.

Skye's having an operation called spaying, which is

a routine procedure to stop her having any unwanted puppies.

Good girl, Skye.

It's a routine procedure, but there is always some risk with

the anaesthetic, so I just hope she wakes up quickly.

Really important for her to be spayed while she's young

and while it's a routine operation, so that she doesn't get

a pyometra, which is a horrible life-threatening infection.

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

I've done this operation a few thousand times, I'd say.

It is still a major surgery for the dog,

but on balance, I would always spay my female dog, always.

And Cheryl's experience shows.

In minutes, she's removed the uterus and ovaries -

the organs that produce puppies.

Her operation has gone really well,

we've passed all of the dangerous parts.

In 10 days, she should make a full recovery.

The trickiest part of having animals as patients is trying

to explain to them to rest and not lick their stitches.

With the anaesthetic machine off...

One, two, three. We're going this way.

..Cheryl and Jade need to get Skye's head out of the clouds.

Hey, Skye. Wakey, wakey!

It does make me a little bit nervous when a patient doesn't

wake up straightaway after their anaesthetic.

But I think Skye's just being a bit of a lazybones.

Oh, Skye-Skye, I know you can hear us!

-Hello!

-Hi! It's us!

-Hi!

-Good girl. Relax, relax.

Later in the afternoon, owners Isabella, Lana and Stewart are back

to pick up their beloved dog.

And they've been keeping themselves busy while they waited at home.

We had to make cookies just take our minds off it.

We've brought them for everyone. To say thank you, isn't it?

Yeah, to say thank you.

Are we going to go and find your owners? Good girl.

Now, no running or jumping.

-Hey.

-Hey.

Who's this? Who are those people? Did you miss them?

Oh! Thank you very, very, very much!

Good luck, Skye. Make sure you take it easy, girl.

Mm!

Quite nice.

DOG HOWLS

Let's go back to vet Cat in Sheffield

for The Great British Weight-Off.

It's six weeks since Nigel and Cat's pets began their new health plan.

And today they're back for the big weigh-in.

Fatty looks like he's ballooned today,

so I'm quite confident that Monty and I will emerge the victors.

Won't we, Monty? Yes!

Nigel is incredibly confident, but this is the final weigh-off

and I am very competitive - and I had a sneaky plan.

So I have put his biscuits outside,

and so that means that when he fancies a snack or his dinner,

he has to go outside and into our garden shed to eat.

So, fingers crossed,

eating less and moving around more means that he's lost some weight.

Well, only the scales have the answer.

So, last time, Monty weighed 7.33 kilos.

Shall we see what he weighs today? Come on, sweetheart.

Let's put you on.

-6.91.

-Well done, Monty!

-Well done, Monty!

-That's impressive!

-Yes!

You see?

-Good lad!

-Well, this is a bit of a concern, isn't it?

I really wasn't expecting Monty to lose anything at all.

-Come on, Fatty!

-Fatty last time weighed 6.77.

-Let's see what Fatty weighs today.

-And we're sitting at...

SHE GASPS

-6.42! Very good, Fatso, well done.

-It's close, isn't it?

I'm less confident.

No, I think we'll let the calculator do the maths.

Good lad, Fatty. That's got to be the winner.

So, Fatty has lost 350g in six weeks,

-and Monty has lost 420g!

-Yay! Well done, Monty!

-Well done, Monty!

-Yeah! Winners!

Oh, no, I was so sure we would win!

But I'm still proud of my boy, though.

But with both cats on the right road to a healthier life,

everyone here is a winner today.

Still got a bit of a way to go.

-Yes, still a little bit.

-It's a long journey.

A long journey, but I'm very proud of both of them

cos they have lost some weight.

This has been a great chance for Nigel and I

to practise what we preach.

It isn't easy, but we both want the best for our boys.

I'm very proud of Fatty, he's done really well.

And we are all so proud of you too, lads. Keep up the good work.

Another boy who's feeling fitter is Napoleon the French Bulldog.

Hello, mate.

After his operation, he's now running around for much longer.

And Napoleon's owner Jackie is also breathing easier

knowing he's going to be OK.

I've noticed a big difference cos before he could only play

for about 20 minutes, but now he can play

for as long as he wants, and he has much more fun now

when he goes to the park, and it's just improved his quality of life.

Go get 'em, Napoleon!

Next time on The Pets Factor, James investigates why Honey is

putting on weight.

One thing that we can do is do an ultrasound scan of her tummy,

but I don't know what I'm going to find.

And the pressure is on for Rory,

to help a dog with an appetite for pebbles.

He's going to have some serious surgery now to get those out.