Tilly, Martel and Duke The Pets Factor

I'm Stacey Dooley.

I love animals, and I hate seeing them sick.

When they are, they come to places like this

where awesome vets will totally bust a gut

to try and get them fixed.

Meet rookie vet Rory...

Oh, I do love a friendly rabbit.

-Smells like dog sick.

-HE SHUDDERS

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

Hello.

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.

Oh, you're gorgeous.

GOOSE SQUAWKS, HE LAUGHS

They're the vets with The Pets Factor.

Coming up on today's show...

..there's a hunt for tiny pups with James...

He's moving. He's moving. Look, look, look. That's so cool.

..Rory's patient turns out to be a right handful...

-HE STRAINS

-Blimey.

There's a little bit of a pouch under there, isn't there?

..and Cheryl needs to perform urgent surgery on this lovely lad's lump.

There's lots of blood vessels.

It's not the nicest area to be doing surgery.

But first, let's head over to Bristol

to see what pets James needs to vet today.

When it comes to treating animals, James is a real softie.

Smoky, I'm so proud of you.

Some of my patients find coming to the vet's really scary.

So, for me, it's all about making them feel right at home.

And one nervous patient that needs James's gentle touch,

is this gorgeous Cavapoo called Tilly.

This much-loved family pet

is usually straining at the leash for a walk.

But recently, she's blown up like a balloon,

and she's always dog tired.

Her family are hoping all this change

is because she's expecting pups.

So it's off to the vet, James, to find out.

She's come with mum Helen, Josh, and bezzie mate Izzy.

Before we got her, I didn't really like dogs.

I used to be really scared of them.

But, then, when I met her, she was really calm.

So I think that that made me really like her so much.

TILLY WHINES

She whines every time we're in the vet.

Don't worry, Tilly,

you're in safe hands with James.

-JAMES:

-Why don't I borrow her off of you, put the scanner on,

we'll have a look and see if I can see the puppies?

There is, always, that slightly kind of cautious moment

where we also can see whether the puppies or alive or not.

Which, obviously, that's kind of the big question today.

But hopefully, all will be absolutely fine.

TILLY WHINES

It's an anxious wait for the family

while James and Tilly head to the ultrasound suite.

Come on, Tilly.

And vet nurse Heather is on hand to keep Tilly calm

throughout the procedure.

TILLY WHINES

You a chatterbox?

Right, I'm just going to do a little bit of a clip

because she's got such a hairy tummy.

-Oh...

-It's OK. It's OK.

This is all new for Tilly,

but James needs to remove some fur so that he can get the very best

picture using this cool scanner.

I can tell that Tilly will make a really great mum.

I'm just really hoping that we've got some pups in there,

but it might just be that she's a bit tubby.

-OK, so, I can see something already.

-HE LAUGHS

Here, we've got the puppy's head.

This is the body, and then this is going down to the tail at the end.

Actually, looking at that, we've got a little, flickering ball of grey,

and that is actually the puppy's heart just beating away like that.

It's moving. It's moving. Look, look, look.

That is so cool.

I have done so many scans like these, and finding a live,

healthy puppy is such a magical moment.

And no matter how many times you do it,

it always feels like the first time.

Look at that. It's really going.

It's having a little swim around.

I mean, this is fab. This is really great news

that we've not only got a heartbeat,

but we've actually got a puppy that's moving really healthily.

And it's a chance for Tilly to meet her pup for the first time.

But James needs to find more.

A pup on its own is always a worry,

because with all that extra space in the womb, it can grow too big,

which can then make it really hard for mum to give birth.

Let's see if we can find another.

Everyone's keeping their fingers crossed for you, Tilly.

HISS!

There you go.

Time to go to Essex and meet vet Cheryl.

Come on in.

Cheryl has a smile and a cuddle for every one of her patients.

Good morning, Coco.

I love being a vet.

Good girl.

Hello, Bumble.

Every patient is special to me,

and I just want to take them all home.

Come on, handsome.

And Cheryl's next patient

is a dog that hold a very special place in her heart.

Meet Duke, the three-year-old Hungarian Vizsla,

who's normally full of beans.

But he's feeling down in the dumps right now because of this

massive swelling on his throat.

-JADE:

-Hi, Dukey. Come on then.

Let's go.

He needs urgent help from Cheryl.

Hiya, Dukey. It's your turn.

You ready?

-He's just a beautiful dog, isn't he?

-JADE:

-He is so beautiful.

Look at the size of that lump.

It's huge. It's the size of a tennis ball.

So I'm a little bit concerned,

because I don't know if it's just a harmless abscess full of pus,

or if it something worse.

So we got to really get to the bottom of it.

Cheryl and head nurse Jade need to anaesthetise him...

Don't look, Duke.

..so they can discover what's causing this massive swelling.

Aw, what a brave boy.

Sorry, Duke.

With Duke unconscious,

Cheryl can have a good look inside those huge jaws.

He does go on dog walks every day with lots of other dogs,

so it could have been a dog bite, a bit of stick, something like that,

stuck in his mouth.

There's definitely no wounds.

I was almost hoping we'd find, like, a little wound in the back there.

I can't see one.

Cheryl has no choice but to investigate the lump.

Unfortunately for Duke, that means a tricky operation.

In this area, there's lots of blood vessels and the jugular vein.

So it's not the nicest area to be doing surgery.

He's such a lovely dog,

and it could potentially be something really serious.

WOOF!

Next, off to London to meet vet Rory.

He's the new kid on the block...

Oh, there we go.

..who's always keen to impress.

I've been doing this job for just over a year now,

and I've literally loved every day.

There's just never a dull moment being a vet.

HE GASPS

But he best dust himself down for his next patient,

Bengal beauty Martel.

This much-loved Bengal cat has the appetite of a Bengal tiger.

He always wants more.

If he carries on stuffing his face...

PARP!

..he could end up in a right flap.

At Grandma Linda's House, when Luca and Yelena sit down for tea,

greedy Martel is never too far away.

Does he like lots of food?

Yeah, he eats lots of food.

This clever cat has even worked out how to get seconds.

But his constant munching is beginning to show.

Martel, please.

Time to visit Rory.

-Hello, bud.

-MARTEL PURRS

So there's a little bit of a pouch under there, isn't there?

-He has a routine.

-He has a routine?

Eat, sleep, do nothing.

Eat, sleep, do nothing.

I'd quite like that routine.

It sounds like fun.

Let's see what the damage is.

-HE STRAINS

-Blimey.

Look at that. 8.1.

The average cat I see at work

is somewhere between four and six kilos, and Martel's eight.

So it's just constantly like having a school bag full of books on his back.

If you give him treats all the time, it's a lot of calories,

and if you have too many of those, you start to put on fat

and you get overweight. And that's, unfortunately,

exactly what's happened to old Martel here.

Oh, so now...? So he needs to have a diet?

Exactly.

People think they're being really kind to their cats, giving them

lots of food, but they're just like humans, really.

If there's a huge pile of chocolate in the corner,

we're going to dive on it.

Stick around, because a few extra pounds isn't the only excess baggage

that Martel is carrying.

We can just flick his back like that.

And what's lurking in those lugholes?

That's all coming out.

It's so disgusting.

And things get messy in Essex with Cheryl.

Ew! That's really bad! Look at it!

I love a bit of pus.

Time to rejoin James and Tilly the Cavapoo.

This perfectly-behaved pet is in the middle of an important ultrasound...

She's starting to just relax a little bit. She's good.

..because her family are hopeful

that she's going to be a mum.

But giving birth to just one pup could be risky for Tilly,

so James is on the lookout for more.

Let's see if we can find another.

It's difficult, cos sometimes they'll tuck right up to...

As I'm coming further up, that's where we're hitting hair,

which is why I'm not getting quite as nice a picture.

But once he gets past Tilly's lovely curls, things are looking up.

OK, so we've definitely got a good couple on that side.

There's quite a few in here, I reckon.

That's probably about six or seven.

This is good. This is great.

Can't tell exactly how many are there.

Definitely five or six...

..possibly seven...

..maybe eight?

I think we'll stick with seven.

Either way, she's absolutely smashed it.

And these tiny bundles of joy are going to bring some big smiles.

This is really great news.

They're going to be so pleased.

Look who've we got here, Tilly!

The good news is that we have got lots of puppies in here,

and they're all looking really, really healthy, which is great.

OK, did you see that one move?

-Great, isn't it?

-It's so good.

-Isn't it great? I know.

Delivering good news is one of the best bits of this job.

And when things go well, me and the team can get a little bit giddy.

Good morning, Lily speaking. How can I help?

-IRISH ACCENT:

-Oh, hi, there. My tortoise has just escaped its shell.

Your tortoise has what, sorry?

I've got a tortoise, and it's just escaped its shell.

It's, like, run out.

-Is this a prank call?

-SHE LAUGHS

She's put me on hold.

Oh, she's going to come.

Who's ringing me?!

Hi, Lily. Have you got there a turtle?

Have you got a turtle in a half shell?

I almost got her.

Time to get back to Essex with vet Cheryl and Duke.

This lovely Hungarian Vizsla is about to go under the knife

so that Sheryl can investigate the lump on his throat.

It's not a very nice thing to have.

It's horrible. I know when you've got, like, tonsillitis

and you've got a big, swollen throat, it's horrible.

While head nurse Jade keeps a careful eye on Duke's breathing

and heart rate, Cheryl will need a steady hand.

Thank you.

'I get a little bit nervous'

when we're doing procedures around

the throat because it's a really delicate area.

This is where years of vet school really kick in.

As disgusting as it sounds,

she hopes his lump is full of loads of gooey pus.

Pus will be good news, cos that means it's just an abscess.

If you're squeamish, look away now.

-Yeah, pus.

-SHE LAUGHS

-Look at that.

-I love a bit of pus.

Ew, that's really bad! Look at it!

It's like squeezing the biggest spot in the world -

it looks disgusting, but it's so satisfying.

He's going to feel so much better.

Cheryl needs to get right inside

to make sure there's nothing else lurking in there.

You can explore with instruments, but then we could damage him,

so your fingers are the best for exploring.

I can't feel anything.

With no obvious cause,

the best Cheryl can do is thoroughly clean out the area

and stitch it back up.

-It looks a lot better, doesn't it?

-Looks way better.

I can't promise that he's definitely going to be OK because we really

don't know what the cause is of the swelling...

Oh, you're such a good boy.

..but, fingers crossed, the antibiotics do their job

and it doesn't come back.

-DUKE WHINES

-Oh, lovely, cosy bed.

All he needs now is plenty of hugs from Cheryl and Jade.

She's so fluffy!

Back now to London, with Rory and Martel.

Hello, bud.

Martel's here because he's a chunky cat who always wants more.

But it looks like he's gained more than just weight.

I think it's most likely fleas.

THEY GASP

The dreaded flea! The dreaded flea.

But to be sure, Rory's got a special test.

What we're going to do is we're going to lift Martel up,

and he's going to hate me for it.

We're just going to flick his back like that.

Poor Martel! How very undignified.

Just keep an eye, and you have a look at this piece of paper.

-YELENA:

-Is it fleas?

I think they are flea poo.

-Oh.

-OK? All right?

Ew. This proves he has unwanted

guests living in his fur.

If you see your cat scratching at home, he may well have fleas.

They're little parasites that suck the blood of the cat, and Martel's

clearly got some, so he's probably really, really itchy.

But these drops should shift those nasty critters.

We're just going to part the hair on the back of his neck.

We should be doing that once a month for an outdoor cat.

While he's at it, Rory wants to see what's lurking down those lugholes.

Remember, this is a job for vets only.

Just like that. You see? Look, it's all coming out.

It's so disgusting.

Couldn't agree more, Yelena.

But with Martel's ears fixed,

Rory needs the family to help him shed those pounds.

We need to reduce his food. We need to make it smaller amounts.

-A smaller amount?

-Exactly.

Then, we need to play with him a lot to get him on an exercise plan.

And that's your job, Luca. OK? Awesome.

-Thank you very much, Rory.

-Great to see you.

-Thank you.

-YELENA:

-I love you, Martel.

I love him.

All that love, a bit less food,

and a lot more exercise should help this big boy drop a jean size.

Oh, you're so cute!

It's back to Bristol with James.

Remember this lovely lass, Tilly?

Four weeks after her ultrasound,

James is heading to a very exciting house call.

We've got some puppies!

Tilly has gone into labour with Izzy as midwife by her side.

-IZZY:

-Go, Tilly!

A tan-coloured squeaker came first,

followed by five more gorgeous pups.

I mean, what a treat.

You know, it's now... We've come to the end of the day,

I've had a great day at work, and I'm now going to go and check over

newborn puppies. I mean, what a fab way to end the day.

Hello. How are you?

Are these them?

PUPPIES SQUEAK

JAMES LAUGHS

So how many have we got? One, two, three, four, five, six.

I'm just over the moon.

I think they look... They look great, don't they?

It's just so fun to see.

Like every new mum, Tilly needs to bond with her puppies,

and she's going to feel really protective and anxious

when I go to pick them up,

so I need to be quick, check them over

without distressing her too much.

It's OK, Tilly. Oh, she's coming to join in.

Look, this is all we're doing. She's brilliant, isn't she?

As soon as she hears anything, she's straight to them.

What a great mum.

With Tilly keeping a careful eye,

a quick weigh-in will check all the pups

are getting enough milk from mum.

So that's 210, so she's already gained...

Cos what was she, 184 or so?

-185.

-185?

So already, in that short period of time,

you can see she's gained weight.

So in that respect you know she's definitely suckling. You know,

Tilly's definitely feeding her really well.

All six of these weeny Cavapoos have passed their first puppy test

with flying colours.

Oh, look, do you want a new home?

Do you want to come live with me?

Bad luck, James. I think these mini-mutts

are perfectly happy where they are.

Looks like she's going to sleep in your hands there.

JAMES LAUGHS

That is great news for Tilly.

And aren't those pups just the cutest thing ever?

Hello. Aw.

Plus there's even more good news for Cheryl.

I know! Hello!

He could hear you. Hey!

After being reunited with his worried owner...

Aw, he missed you!

..Duke the Hungarian Vizsla has gone on to make a full recovery

and he's back to his bouncy self.

Next time on The Pets Factor -

six poorly puppies are relying on Cat the vet to save their lives...

She should be so bright and happy, and look at her.

..and there's more serious surgery for Cheryl.

Look at that.

But this time, the patient belongs to her.

WHIRRING

Oh, poor Bags.