Daisy, Pixie and Trinity The Pets Factor

I'm Stacey Dooley, and I love animals,

which means I cannot resist when it comes to little pups like this.

But sometimes, just like us, our four-legged friends get sick.

Fortunately, when they do, they can come to places like this,

where amazing vets work their animal magic to make them better.

Meet passionate pet-lover Cheryl.

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

The biggest softie of them all, gentle James.

Hello, Stu!

Come on, 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

Oh, look at that. Oh, wow! That was a snog.

They're the vets with The Pets Factor.

Coming up on today's show...

Vet Cat assists with some serious dental work on adorable Daisy.

So, it's just you and me, Daisy, all right?

OK!

James gets up to speed with a canine champion.

Good girl. Weave, weave, weave, weave, weave, weave, weave!

Good girl!

And Cheryl operates on an abandoned kitten in need of a home.

Hello, Trinity! Isn't she cute?

Aww! Trinity!

First, let's head to Sheffield to see Cat the vet.

If there's one thing the pets here know,

it's that coming to the vets can be a lot of fun.

Well done, Bonnie.

Our puppy parties are the highlight of our week.

There you go.

But they're also a great way

to show our patients that coming to the vets isn't so scary after all.

And one dog who's certainly not afraid of coming to the vets

is Daisy the Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Hello! Hello!

She's been coming here for ten years,

and today she's back with best pal Freddie and owner Lynne.

When the practice first opened,

Daisy came to their first puppy party.

But I think she's remembered it cos she's always enjoyed coming.

This pair of spaniels just love hanging out together.

And fun-loving Daisy is a real sweetie.

But the minute she opens her mouth,

Daisy's not as sweet smelling as her name suggests.

This hound has a serious case of bad breath-eitis.

Hi there, Daisy.

Vet James is her dentist today, and it looks like a big job.

So Daisy's having some teeth extracted.

You don't know how many, do you, until...?

I don't know how many, but we can quite safely say that these ones

-up here are going to be extracted cos they're quite loose.

-Right.

So it's going to be four at least,

-and there might be others that we don't anticipate.

-OK.

Like many small dogs, spaniels like Daisy are prone to dental problems.

I'm just going to have a little listen to her heart

and just check the rate and the rhythm.

But to add to her woes, Daisy also has a serious heart defect

which makes this routine procedure a really big deal.

Her heart condition does increase her risk under the anaesthetic.

There is, unfortunately, a real chance that she could

potentially die under the anaesthetic.

It is a low risk if we do things very carefully,

and we'll do everything we can to make it as safe as possible for her.

-Right.

-OK?

-OK.

It's really tough for Daisy's owner Lynne,

but she's doing the right thing.

Daisy's in pain now, and the longer we leave it,

the more dangerous the surgery is going to be.

But Cat and James will take special care of her today

and monitor her anaesthetic extra closely.

-Well done, Daisy.

-Good girl.

-You brave dog!

You little treasure.

Look at that - not a drop was spilt.

She is definitely one of the best behaved patients that I have.

We've taken care of her for many, many years now.

Look how well you're doing, my love.

And Cat has an inventive plan to keep her patient as safe as possible

through surgery.

We put the little space boots on their feet

to help to keep them warm.

When a patient is under an anaesthetic, it's very easy for

their body temperature to drop and they can get too cold,

which means that sometimes the anaesthetic is more difficult

or they spend longer coming around.

So we like to keep them really toasty

cos it really helps their recovery.

With cat making sure Daisy's heart rate is stable,

James needs to work fast so they can bring her back round

as quickly as possible.

HE CHUCKLES

MEOW!

Come on, big man!

Next, we're in Bristol with James.

That's good, he can wake up.

He's the vet everyone wants on their team.

-You look like Noddy.

-LAUGHTER

And he treats all his patients like superstars.

Here we go, here we go.

-Oh, hello!

-LAUGHS:

-Aww!

But today, he's leaving the practice

to go and meet some rather remarkable dogs.

There's nothing I like more than a super pet,

the ones that have that something extra special.

And these guys are pretty special indeed.

Oh, look! Who is this?

-BARKING DROWNS OUT SPEECH

-Aww!

These amazing doggie athletes train every single day

to compete on assault courses like this,

which test their agility and speed.

They are a totally amazing.

Blink and you miss them.

They are like Olympic gymnasts on four legs.

Hello, hello.

Trainer Lucy is hoping that little Flooey will be a future champion.

So she's a little bit wriggly and a little bit excitable.

-She's very cute.

-But she's very cute. She's ten weeks old.

-Ten weeks?

-Ten weeks old.

-Oh, look!

And she's - hopefully - our new little agility champion,

a little star in the making.

But it's agility queen Pixie who needs help hanging onto her crown.

Pixie is no ordinary dog.

She's a true champion...

..with a cupboard full of trophies.

But, to stay at the top of the pile,

this speed machine needs to stay injury free.

So she's off to the vets for a watery work-out.

Or, to be more exact,

an underwater treadmill session with hydrotherapist George.

How's she been getting on lately at home?

Pixie has been absolutely fantastic.

We've got a few events coming up so just working on her fitness, really,

so just getting her ready for her competitions.

Pixie has got a hectic schedule coming up.

It's a huge moment in her career.

-Good girly. Up you go. Yeah, well done, missus!

-Good girl.

She has got to be the fittest she's ever been.

That's a smiley face. Good girl.

They have to be little mini athletes, basically,

so it's really, really important I keep her fit.

And going over sort of lots of the jumps and all the twists

and turns, if she hasn't got a really good strong core, it just

makes it harder for her and it just puts her at risk of injuries.

From a vet's point of view, this is the best and, probably,

the safest workout that Pixie can do.

Plenty of exercise, she's not going to hurt herself,

and she's absolutely loving it.

She looks really, really good, really healthy.

Pixie is obviously a true champion.

She is not fazed by this work-out,

and she's taking it all in her stride.

Her heart rate was 80 before we started

and she's just done some exercise in there,

about three minutes walking, and it will still the same,

so she's really, really fit.

So she's done very good.

Session over.

Oh, well done!

Pixie's ready to shake off the opposition and take on the world.

Later, James' nerves are jangling when he takes charge of the champ.

My heart's really going for it. I really feel...

I'm feeling the pressure that I've got to achieve.

And the pressure's on for vet Cat and James

to get Daisy through some serious dental work.

It's really important that we get the balance right between

her being asleep and comfortable under the anaesthetic,

but also her heart coping OK.

Oh, yeah!

Next, we're off to Essex to see who Cheryl's helping today.

Oh, you're safe now!

Nearly half of all the patients she sees are cats.

You are beautiful.

I love them all. I just love cats so much.

Well, today is Cheryl's lucky day,

as she has a brand-new feline patient to see.

Hello, Trinity! Isn't she cute?

Aww! Trinity!

-Can you believe she was just dumped?

-No.

It was the run-up to Christmas and all through the house,

no creatures were stirring, not even a...

-Meow!

-A kitten?!

-Meow!

AS MOUSE: "Eh, hello, what about me?!"

Unbelievably, this cute kitty was just left on someone's doorstep.

Luckily, she was rescued by the RSPCA,

and now it's time for her to see vet Cheryl

to get ready for her forever home.

Aww, she's so cute.

Do you think somebody bought her and then didn't want her?

Or did...? Was she a stray?

Good girl, Trinity. Oh, don't worry!

Scary, scary clippers!

She's lively.

Today, this wriggly little kitten is getting neutered,

which means Cheryl will remove her reproductive organs

the uterus and ovaries.

Trinity is such an adorable little kitten...

-Good girl!

-Good girl!

..and really full of life.

So brave.

But it's really important that we do an op to stop her having babies.

So one cat, if it hasn't been neutered,

can produce up to 52 kittens in one year,

because if one cat has kittens, then those kittens can have kittens,

and then those kittens can have kittens.

And we see so many unwanted stray kittens, just like Trinity.

Now Trinity is fast asleep and her belly has been shaved

and vacuumed...

..she's ready for theatre.

Aww, I really want to get Trinity's operation over and done with

as quickly as possible so that I can see her bouncing around again.

You and me both, Cheryl.

The faster Trinity gets sorted,

the quicker she'll find a new loving home.

Meow!

Hey, I'm talking to you.

Time to catch up with vet Cat and Daisy in Sheffield.

This lovable Cavalier King Charles spaniel

is having some rotten teeth removed.

-Very good girl!

-That's great!

But because of her heart condition,

vet Cat is on hand to keep her under close observation.

So it's just you and me, Daisy, all right?

But this is not going to be a pretty sight.

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

They are quite loose, so there's not really a lot of work to be done.

These teeth are trying to work their way out anyway.

It makes our job easier to extract the teeth,

but it does mean that there's been a problem for a while.

No wonder Daisy's breath has been smelly - her teeth

are so bad they're practically falling out by themselves.

With the rotten ones removed, James cleans the others to try

and prevent any more extractions like this.

OK, missus, over we go.

And as he gets to work on the other side,

Cat keeps a careful eye on Daisy's anaesthetic.

It's really important that we get the balance right between

her being asleep and comfortable under the anaesthetic,

but also her heart coping OK.

So, that's why she's being really closely monitored

to make sure we get that right.

We don't want her anaesthetic to be a long one,

so the quicker we are, the better, really.

Luckily for Daisy,

it's only taken 15 minutes to remove her four bottom teeth.

Right, then, Daisy, we'll give it a quick blast

and clean off all the polish.

Well done, James. Super speedy!

I am so pleased Daisy pulled through.

Top teamwork, guys. Time to go home, Daisy.

And someone's been lost without you.

-Freddie's been really subdued.

-Yeah.

-Not been bouncy at all.

We're not used to him being quiet.

Here she is!

Daisy's back! Look!

Oh, I love a good doggie reunion.

Did you miss her today?

There you go, Dais - you can go home now.

Excuse me, can you come down, please?

Let's get back to Bristol with James and Pixie.

Her regular hydrotherapy treatments have helped keep her injury free

and looking competition ready.

-How are we doing?

-Really good, thank you.

-Oh, I just could not resist coming out to see you.

-Thank you.

Now, should we have a little look, see her in action?

-Yes, come on.

-OK. Let's go.

-Let's go. Let's go.

Are you ready?

OK, go, go! Tunnel, tunnel!

Good girl!

Weave, weave, weave, go, go, go! Go on! Yeah, beautiful!

Good girlie.

Good girlie.

She's such a talent. Good girl, Pixie.

-She really enjoys it.

-Do you think she would let me have a go?

-Erm, I think you could...

-Would you let me have a go?

-I would let you have a go.

-Are you sure?

-Definitely.

Me and my big mouth!

Pixie, I am counting on you.

But first, I'm going to need some tips from the top.

Basically, when you're doing agility,

-the dogs follow your shoulders.

-OK.

-So if you want to turn...

-Yeah.

-..you turn your shoulders.

-So I turn my shoulders...

-Yeah.

-to make her know which way to go?

Yeah, absolutely. So she'll move with me when I start moving around.

-So, can you see how she follows?

-Yeah.

So she likes to follow the direction that I'm going in.

-She's kind of a pre-trained dog, if you like...

-OK.

..so she will help you out, definitely.

I think I know who's going to be in charge here,

and they've got four legs, not two!

My heart's really going for it. I really feel...

I'm feeling the pressure that I've got to achieve.

You might be struggling, James, but this pro ready to go.

OK, come on. Good girl, good girl, good girl! Over here!

Weave, weave, weave, weave, weave, weave, weave! Good girl!

Up you come. In the tunnel, in the tunnel.

Good girl!

HE CHUCKLES

Yay!

Who's a clever girl?!

You do have to be quite fit for it, don't you?

-You have to be a little bit fit for it.

-Yeah.

I mean, if I can do it, it just goes to show

-anybody, really, can do agility with a dog.

-Absolutely.

-What a great hobby.

-Yeah, get your dog out there and have the go.

It's just really good fun.

DOG HOWLS

Back to Essex now to see how Cheryl's getting on with Trinity.

-Good girl!

-Good girl!

Little kitten Trinity was abandoned on a doorstep just before Christmas.

She's dreaming of finding a permanent loving home.

But first, she needs an operation called neutering

to stop her having unwanted kittens.

Trinity is a really feisty little kitten, and this whole experience

at the vet might be a little bit traumatic for her,

but I think she'll forgive us pretty quickly.

MACHINERY BEEPS

Generally, there's no problems after they have their neutering operation.

-They just go about their general life, don't they?

-Yep.

Cats are amazing for that, aren't they?

In, like, two hours she'll probably be jumping...

She'll be, like, tearing around, desperate to eat something,

climbing up the front of her kennel.

It doesn't take long for Cheryl to finish the operation

and stitch Trinity back up.

-Wonderful.

-Yeah.

-No complications.

She should recover really quickly, shouldn't she?

-A very short anaesthetic.

-Aww...

She'll be up and about in a minute.

It's now down to head nurse Jade

to make sure she comes round from the anaesthetic.

Hi! Trinity!

Hey, princess!

But she'll be a bit sleepy, so she's kind of falling back to sleep again

now, where she's all nice and snug and warm under her blanket.

Hi!

A few hours later and Trinity's ready to be picked up by Ruth

from the RSPCA who will help find a family to adopt her.

-Here she is!

-Hello.

She's recovered super well from her anaesthetic.

And think, hopefully, we'll be able to get her home as soon as well.

Someone will re-home you soon.

-See you later.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye, Trinity!

And just six weeks after her op...

..Trinity has finally found her forever home.

And she's definitely met her match.

Seven-year-old Camilina has just as much energy.

SHE GIGGLES

And this kitten has now been given a very special new name.

Fredly!

She combined "Freddie" and "friendly" and came up with Fredly!

Fredly is Camilina's first-ever pet,

and they're already the best of friends.

She's always running around everywhere and, like,

playing chase cos I have this string and she will chase it about.

I think they really, really adore each other.

Fredly's always coming up to Camilina

when she comes back from school,

and Camilina just really loves playing with her.

Here's to a happy life with your new best friend, Fredly.

I'm so glad to see that gorgeous kitten has found

her purr-fect new home.

Hello, you!

And if you're wondering how Daisy the King Charles is doing

after all that dental work...

..Lynne's put her grandkids Charlotte and Finley

in charge of Daisy's daily dental routine.

Can you have a go at that fang tooth at the front?

-Look at that.

-There we go.

It looks like she's enjoying it.

Perhaps that's down to the liver-flavoured toothpaste!

-Do you think you'll be able to manage this at home?

-Yeah.

Yeah, I reckon you will.

Next time on The Pets Factor...

James is concerned about a much-loved labrador's swollen paw...

Is it infection,

or is there something a bit more sinister at play?

..and it's celebration time for Cheryl.

Hello!

But the party food is a right dog's dinner.

THEY LAUGH