Bagheera, Tommy and Casper The Pets Factor

DOG BARKS

I'm Stacey Dooley, I'm mad about animals,

and seeing them poorly breaks my heart.

Fortunately, there are brilliant vets all over the country

dedicated to making them feel better.

Hello, baby!

Meet rookie vet Rory...

Oh, I do love a friendly rabbit.

It smells like dog sick.

Ugh!

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

Hello!

Ha-ha-ha! Oh, 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?

-Oh!

-GEESE HONK

HE LAUGHS

They're the vets with The Pets Factor.

Coming up on today's show...

Can vet Cat save these desperately ill pups?

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

Rory's raring to go,

to help these two cute kittens tame their wild ways.

It's OK, be nice and quick.

-Poor Bags.

-And Cheryl has to take drastic action...

-Look at that!

-..on her own beloved cat, Bagheera.

But first, let's head over to Sheffield,

where Cat the vet is looking after some very poorly pups.

Whether it's a feisty feline... CAT HISSES

OK, there we go.

-..or a ticklish Cockapoo...

-Ooh, they're so itchy, aren't they?

..Cat always goes the extra mile for every patient.

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

I've been a vet for over ten years, and I have seen the best and worst

behaved pets, but I still love them all...

Thanks, mate!

..Well, most of them!

The pets that come here usually pass through reception first,

but the patients booked in with Cat today have had to be kept in a

separate area from all the other animals.

These gorgeous Border Collie-cross puppies are just eight weeks old.

They were rushed in last night because they've all been struck down

with a life-threatening disease called parvovirus.

This is one of the most serious viruses dogs can contract.

It can make them incredibly poorly,

it gives them horrible vomiting and diarrhoea,

and if we can't get them eating, it is very possible that they will die.

YIP-YIP-YIP! Just a few days ago, these six siblings all headed off

to new homes, full of fun and puppy chaos.

It turns out that none of them had had their vaccinations.

And sadly, one by one,

they all became sick with this extremely contagious disease.

WHINING

We really have to be incredibly careful that we don't spread this

virus outside of this room.

Hello, my darling!

Hi!

A puppy at this age should be running around and wagging its tail,

and so bright and happy, and look at her.

She's just so sad because she feels so poorly.

If these pups are going to have any chance of survival...

Come on, then, sweet pea.

..it's vital that Cat and student nurse Charlotte get food and fluids

into them quickly.

We've put this tube into her nose, it goes down in her tummy,

and it means we can give her the fluids that she needs to keep going

straight into her stomach,

without her having to make any effort at all.

We're really worried about her, but we're...

we're doing everything we can.

What's so frustrating about all of this is preventing parvovirus

is really easy. All it takes is a simple vaccination.

This little baby is one of our poorlier ones.

Right, then...

-PUP WHINES

-I know. Give me a big swallow.

Oh, good baby, well done!

-Well done!

-There you are.

With parvovirus, there is no miracle cure and there's no guarantee that

your patient is going to pull through.

But there are glimmers of hope.

-Hiya!

-Hello!

-Did we wake you up?

Oh, look how happy you are!

Thanks to the team's constant care,

some of the puppies are beginning to show a marked improvement.

Oh, what a clever baby!

This is a really good sign.

This one has actually eaten his dinner for us, so that's great.

He's making an effort.

Seeing the pups eat even the tiniest bit of food is absolutely fantastic,

but I know that they've got a long way to go yet.

We have to wait while their little immune systems pull them through.

MUSIC: Safe Inside by James Arthur

They're in the very best place to get the care they desperately need,

and all the team are rooting for them.

PANTING

SLURP!

There you go!

Time now to join Cheryl.

At her London home, her first job of the day is to feed her own pets.

Come on, boys!

Grab your breakfast.

-Black and white cat Gordy...

-Come on!

-..Cerys the Cavalier...

Good girl!

..and black rescue cat Bagheera.

But he has to go hungry today...

-Sorry, mate.

-..because he's booked in for some serious dental surgery

with Cheryl herself.

Sorry, boy, for your own good.

Tomorrow, you can have double.

Before Cheryl adopted him,

Bagheera had been living as a stray for ten years,

and a hard life on the streets is beginning to take its toll.

I felt really bad when I got home the other night and he was rubbing

at his face, and he looked really sad.

And then I checked in his mouth and you can see his front canine's

broken and red, and then this one is the one that's infected and sore.

And the same on the other side.

This one's broken, that one's broken.

I know. Sorry, don't want to hurt you.

Oh, poor Bagheera!

Having a toothache is one of the most horrible things you can have,

and he has so many sore teeth.

But I love you.

It's a really weird feeling when

it's your own animals that aren't well.

I spend every day treating other people's pets,

so it's easy to forget what it feels like for the owners.

I feel awful, like,

what if he's going to be painful and sore in his mouth?

And what if we should have just left his teeth alone?

But I know it's the best thing for him.

I don't know. Well, hopefully, it's the best thing for him.

Hello, guys! Sorry I'm late.

But before Cheryl can even think about Bagheera's dental,

she's got to deal with another handsome chap who's also taken

a battering from a life on the streets.

He's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

This wild urban fox has been brought in after being spotted with a

nasty-looking wound on his back.

Yeah, I can see it, it's a bite.

With nurse Sarah keeping him calm, Cheryl can clean the area.

Although it might look gross,

this bite is actually healing really well.

But Cheryl has spotted something else.

Because they're wild animals, they are covered,

absolutely covered in ticks,

and they suck their blood and they're really uncomfortable.

And no wonder,

imagine having these bloodthirsty parasites attached to you!

Wow! Those are big old ticks, aren't they?

Most vets use a tick remover to get the ticks off,

but when I was working in Australia,

I learnt how to pick them off with my fingers.

Ooh, look at him, with his little legs!

Hi! Hi, tick! Sorry!

I know it looks gross,

but there's something so irresistible

about squeezing out little ticks.

I love it.

Cool, Mr Foxy.

-It's weird. Weird good feeling!

-SHE LAUGHS

Hopefully, he'll be right as rain and he can be released

after a couple of days' rest.

So, with Mr Fox "ticked" off the list,

stick around for Cheryl's biggest challenge of the day.

I'm really nervous. And look, he's not himself, he's all sleepy.

Will she cope with performing a tricky dental

-on her beloved Bagheera?

-Poor Bags!

Hello, my darling!

And we'll catch up with vet Cat and those poorly parvo pups.

Look how big you got!

But first, we're with Rory in South London.

Hi, how's it going?

I know, I know.

Rory may be a newly qualified vet...

Oh, look at you!

..but he's not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

-Oh, look at that!

-GIRL LAUGHS

Bit of a protest from Doris.

When I was at vet school,

all of my friends thought I was like an excitable little puppy.

HE PANTS LIKE A PUPPY

What's going on? Yes, I know.

But now, a year and a half into the job,

I reckon I'm more like a confident lion.

ROAR

If you were an animal, what would you be?

I don't know. What's really lightweight and, like, majestic?

-A big bird.

-A seahorse. I think you're like a seahorse.

-A seahorse?

-Yeah.

I think that you would be a donkey, because you're stubborn.

Just...no answer.

I'm just not even going to continue this conversation.

You're just jealous because you're not a bird.

On his list today are these

perfectly posed six-month-old kittens,

ginger Tommy and tabby Casper. PURRING

These two little rascals belong to these three rascals and their mum,

-Victoria.

-Well, they're very cheeky and they run around the house,

and it's very loud.

And sometimes, they open my door and it's very annoying sometimes.

This plucky pair may have the run of the house,

but tough boy Tommy and cool kitty Casper are beginning to get

a bit too big for their boots.

All that acting tough needs sorting out to stop them getting hurt.

A simple op should help tame these tom cats.

So, let's cut to the chase - they're in today to be castrated.

THEY LAUGH

Yep, Tommy and Casper need to have their testicles removed.

Bit awkward, but really necessary.

This simple operation really does the trick.

It stops these little guys breeding, which is amazing,

because there's nine million stray cats on our streets.

I know. It's OK, be nice and quick.

Also, it's going to stop them roaming too far and possibly getting

themselves into trouble.

First up is Tommy.

Yes, I know, you're so clever! You are!

Oh, he goes, "I'm feeling sleepy."

With Tommy fully sedated, Rory scrubs in.

Once my hands are sterile, I can't touch anything, which,

for a fidget like me, is really, really tricky.

So, I've come up with a bit of a dance.

MUSIC: Squeeze Me by N.E.R.D.

I'll calm down. I'll look out of the window and survey the scenery.

With vet nurse Lucinda keeping an eye on that all-important heart rate

-and respiration...

-That's OK.

..Rory can finally begin Tommy's operation.

That's probably why I was a little bit impatient,

cos this is going to take all of about three minutes.

It might be just a quick snip,

but it's one that still requires years of veterinary training.

So what I'm doing is just tying off,

and then whip them off, and there you go.

One done.

And seconds later, the other one's out, too.

-And we're done at this end, Lu.

-Fantastic!

Wow, that was quick!

Rory's removed both testicles in just a couple of minutes.

All right, sweetie, hi!

-Someone's awake!

-Casper's turn next.

He is so chilled.

And just like his pal Tommy, it's all over in no time.

They've had a bit of a big day, but they'll go home and they'll be fine.

They've got each other for company.

And after a quick catnap, it's time to reunite these boys

with these boys.

There we go!

So, they did super well.

And just to show you what we did...

There you go. Can't even tell it's happened.

And it's purrs all-round from Tommy and Casper.

-What do you say, boys?

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

My pleasure, guys.

I wish every cat that came in here purred like that.

DOG BARKS

Time to get back to Sheffield, with vet Cat and those poorly pups.

They've been transferred to an RSPCA animal centre,

but there's been some bad news.

Despite the team's round-the-clock care,

one of the pups they were most concerned about

sadly didn't make it.

It is heartbreaking when you lose a patient,

especially such a young animal, who had their whole life ahead of them.

But as for the other five...

Nobody likes to take their medicine, darling.

..the team's hands-on care wasn't in vain.

MUSIC: Breathing Underwater by Emeli Sande

They've all made a full recovery,

and two have already gone to new homes.

Hello, my darling! How are you?!

Oh, my goodness, look how big you got!

You did.

And Cat's taken some time out to catch up with the last three pups,

who are now ready to go to loving new homes of their own.

Oh, look at you! Hello!

It's brilliant to see them finally bouncing around

like proper playful puppies.

Yeah, don't feel sick any more, do you?

No, let's give it a rub.

Oh, yes!

SHE LAUGHS

And there's one pup in particular who's made a miraculous recovery.

We were so close to losing her.

She was incredibly poorly, flat as a pancake, and look at her now!

Isn't she brilliant? Aren't you brilliant?

You are!

You're fantastic.

And what's more, she's been adopted by new owners,

so stick around to see how she's settling in.

She's so fluffy!

Back now to Essex, with Cheryl.

Her own rescue cat, Bagheera, is in need of some serious dental work...

So, Bagsy...

..and Cheryl's feeling the pressure of operating on her much-loved pet.

The worst bit's done, isn't it?

Just bringing him in, he has his anaesthetic.

Now we just have to get those disgusting teeth out.

After years of living rough,

this poor cat's teeth are in a shocking state.

And before her nerves get the better of her, Cheryl cracks on.

DRILL BUZZES

Poor Bags!

Look, that's crazy!

-Yeah.

-This must be the one that was hurting him the most.

And Bagheera's second fang comes out surprisingly quickly, too.

Oh, look at that!

This was his canine and it should be really, really difficult to get out.

Like, take about an hour just to get that tooth out.

But because it's rotten and painful and sore and his gum had

receded back, it came out in, what, two minutes?

But a deeper look inside his mouth reveals that only four of Bagheera's

teeth are healthy enough to leave.

Cheryl has no choice but to remove all the others.

It sounds ridiculous,

but domestic cats can eat really well

without having any teeth at all.

So they just seem to pick up their food and swallow it whole.

Cheryl's removed his top set of teeth fairly easily,

but taking out the ones on the bottom is a much riskier task.

So, when you're trying to take out these lower canines,

one of the complications could be to fracture his...

to fracture a jaw.

That's what was giving me sleepless nights.

It's much, much worse when it's your own cat,

because you can't think carefully,

and I really would hate to harm my boy.

But just like the top row, the rest of Bagheera's teeth are so rotten,

Cheryl has no trouble removing them.

There we are.

-They're bad, aren't they?

-These usually would take ages to come out.

Well, if cats have tooth fairies, Bagheera's going to be quids-in

tonight, after having 11 teeth removed.

He's not going to be King of the Jungle any more.

Oh, you're so brave!

And although he'll need lots of painkillers as he recovers from

the op, he's going to feel a whole lot better very soon.

Oh, I'm so relieved, and I'm... Oh, I'm so relieved.

MEOW!

Ha-ha-ha!

WOOF!

Time to get back with vet Cat.

Remember those terribly ill puppies?

Well, the good news is, all five are getting stronger by the day.

And this one in particular has been given a new lease of life.

Storm! Ha-ha-ha!

She's been named Storm,

and she's made herself right at home with her new owners, Matt,

Erin and mum Claire.

Well, Storm means so much to us.

We've wanted a rescue puppy for a while,

and she gets on with Erin so well.

She's my best friend and she loves to play with me,

and she follows me everywhere really.

Ha-ha-ha!

She does get into a lot of mischief.

Ah-ah-ah-ah! She will pounce upon the sofas, like, barking,

running around.

Come on!

She's amazing.

I never want to leave her.

That's just so great for Storm.

And the good news is that the other four pups are also in happy homes

and doing really well.

Hello, you!

Oh, this bandage!

There's also fab news for Cheryl's cat, Bagheera, too.

Those 11 missing teeth haven't stopped him tucking into his

-favourite biccies.

-Good boy, Bagheera!

Next time, on The Pets Factor...

Oh, sweetie!

..Rory is under pressure to make sure this little piggy...

-180, 190.

-Yeah, that's fine.

..survives a risky anaesthetic.

And Cheryl performs a vital face-lift...

-Hello!

-..on this poorly Pug.

Once we take away a skinfold, we can't put it back,

so we have to be really, really careful.