0:00:02 > 0:00:04We Brits love our animals.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09From livestock in the fields, to pooches in the park.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15It's the job of the nation's vets to keep them healthy.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Whether consulting in the countryside...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22There is something very nice about being next to a nice cow.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29..Or horsing around in the stables...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I spend all my job outwitting animals.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39..They're passionate about their patients.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Why I stroke them a lot is to try and reassure them.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52On call when the animals need them most...
0:00:52 > 0:00:57If we leave it any longer he almost certainly won't make it.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03..They're the dedicated vets, patching up pets, and caring every day
0:01:03 > 0:01:07for more creatures, great and small.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Coming up...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22In Teesdale, small animal vet, Steve, has a tricky,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24taloned, customer.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26When they hook on, they just hold.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Sybil's surprised when she delves into a horse's mouth.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34It's like a shark's teeth in there.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40And in Fife, heart and lung expert, Craig, treats a seriously sick terrier.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Zoe has a life-threatening condition.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53In stunning County Durham, on the banks of the River Tees,
0:01:53 > 0:01:58sits the market town of Barnard Castle, home to Castle Vets.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03That's a good sign of grumpiness, yes!
0:02:03 > 0:02:10It's a mixed practice, dealing with everything from the town's tom cats, to the county's cows...
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and a handful of wild animals, too.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17CAT HISSES Ay!
0:02:20 > 0:02:25Small animal vet, Steve, has been practising for 17 years.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30We had both cats and dogs growing up.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34I guess that's where the natural tendency came
0:02:34 > 0:02:36to relate to animals.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44I suppose some would say there was only one direction I'd go in terms of a career.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47But it was something I always wanted to do.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54And being surrounded by beautiful countryside is another perk of the job.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00There's cases as a small animal vet where you're in urban areas,
0:03:00 > 0:03:05and yet just outside my back door is this.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Today, a creature from the great outdoors needs Steve's help.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20We have a kestrel that's been found right at the top of the dale,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22a place called Langdon Beck.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25A chap from the Environment Agency apparently saw it.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29He thought he saw it land, got out his car to take pictures
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and realised the wing was damaged.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37A kestrel beats its wings five times a second, allowing it to hover
0:03:37 > 0:03:39whilst hunting.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44But a wounded wing would turn her from the hunter
0:03:44 > 0:03:46to the hunted.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54Despite being small, this bird is also deadly.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Equipped to catch and kill voles, mice and even small birds,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01examining a kestrel is a risky business.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's not just the beak you've got to worry about,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07it's these little guys as well.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10They're really sharp and when they hook on they just hold
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and they'll go straight through your finger, so they can be pretty painful
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and you're trying to get bird off one hand and he's biting the other one
0:04:17 > 0:04:19so you tend to just be...
0:04:19 > 0:04:23err on the side of caution and hopefully keep your fingers intact.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Nurse Emma wears protective gloves.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28You can... There's that pen.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And the pen is a handy distraction tool.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35So what we've got...
0:04:35 > 0:04:40You look here, this wing is hanging at a peculiar angle.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Quite limp.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47I'm going to just have a little feel. No, keep your sharp bits to yourself.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49When I try to extend this wing,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53you hit a stop point that shouldn't be there, basically,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55and movement of the elbow back and forth...
0:04:55 > 0:04:58there's a clicking that shouldn't be there as well.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Erm, so if it's broken it's pretty low down.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06It's obviously not been feeding well for a while, it's pretty thin.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12Quite alert and able to bite still, but...yeah, pretty skinny,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16so I think what we'll do here is we'll get an X-ray. Come on, sweetie.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20We'll get an X-ray of that elbow and just ascertain how bad
0:05:20 > 0:05:23the damage is, and then decide from there whether it's going to be
0:05:23 > 0:05:27something we can fix, but we wouldn't prolong things.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30If there's no hope then we would have to, unfortunately,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32put this beautiful bird to sleep.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Basically we're going to gas the bird down.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I literally just want him still enough to lay out on the plate
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and get the x-ray shot, nothing more than that,
0:05:46 > 0:05:51and we only want him asleep hopefully about 30 seconds, a minute.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Only a tiny dose. Too much and it could be fatal.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02All right. Sometimes get a bit of struggle, as they fight the last bit.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04There you go. Come on.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11While Steve checks the X-rays,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Emma brings the kestrel round with oxygen.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20OK, so this is the area where the elbow isn't moving properly.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22The bones are actually intact.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25It looks like part of the bone's displaced.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Although there are no broken bones,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32a dislocated wing is tricky to treat.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Aren't you gorgeous?
0:06:34 > 0:06:37OK, let's pop you in there, sunshine.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39All Steve can do is let the kestrel rest.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41That wing is at an odd angle.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44He's now performing a dirty protest for you.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48You've got to drop the sentimentality about it
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and look at the fact that she is a wild animal and
0:06:52 > 0:06:56just because you can save her by putting her in confinement
0:06:56 > 0:07:00doesn't necessarily mean that you've given her the quality of life
0:07:00 > 0:07:02that she deserves.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07If she doesn't improve soon it may be kinder to put her to sleep.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15In Scotland's Kingdom of Fife,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19it's another busy day at the Inglis Veterinary Hospital.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Oh, everybody's kissing me today.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26With over 4,000 operations a year,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29the team of vets and nurses keep their fingers on the pulse.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I'm trying to use my fingers
0:07:31 > 0:07:34because obviously it's less abrasive on the actual tissues.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Using the latest technology.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43But when pets need extra care experts are called in.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Heart and lung expert Craig Devine
0:07:47 > 0:07:51uses technology designed for human medicine on pets.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I give support in finding out what's wrong with the animals
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and in deciding how to treat them in the more complicated cases.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Today, there's a dog desperately in need of Craig's expertise.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Zoe the Yorkshire terrier
0:08:08 > 0:08:12is just eight years old but has severe breathing difficulties.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Zoe has a life-threatening condition, tracheal collapse.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It's something we do see quite commonly in smaller-breed dogs,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Yorkshire terriers in particular.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25This is looking into her main windpipe, and this should be
0:08:25 > 0:08:29a nice round structure but you see it's flattened across the top there.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33As she breathes, that windpipe collapses down completely.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37That's why she's having the difficulty breathing that she has.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42It's been a traumatic time for Zoe's owners, Jim and Irene,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45especially when she collapsed.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Well, we went to run along the riverbank and she just run 100 yards
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and stopped and she couldn't breathe, so I took her home.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Coming down the road was a nightmare.- I was driving and Irene was in the back with Zoe,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59trying to comfort her. Couldnae do nothing.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Tongue was going black and just terrible state.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I said to Jim, she's going to die. I just...
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I just thought she was going to die and that was it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Today Craig is hoping to save Zoe's life.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14He'll attempt to fit a stent -
0:09:14 > 0:09:18an expandable wire tube, designed to open Zoe's windpipe.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21The stent gets pushed out of the end of the catheter
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and as the stent comes out of the catheter
0:09:23 > 0:09:25it expands to fill the windpipe.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28If the stent is not in the right position then,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31then you've got big trouble, cos these stents can't be taken out.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I've got to know Zoe's owners quite well,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I know how much she means to them.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46And...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49..I'm apprehensive.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51But I'm confident that we need to fix her
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and this is the only way of doing it.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Craig rarely performs this procedure.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59He's under enormous pressure.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05She's a little apprehensive too, looking at her heart rate.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06OK.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09So we'll just let her go down gently onto her chest.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14You can hear her whistling, that's the collapsed trachea.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18With Zoe anaesthetised,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Craig prepares for this difficult procedure.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37County Durham is home to around 400 breeding pairs of kestrels.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Four days ago one of these beautiful birds was badly wounded.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Vet Steve diagnosed a dislocated wing.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53So this is the area where the bone's displaced.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Unable to operate on it, he was left fearing the worst.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02If there's no hope then we would have to, unfortunately,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04put this beautiful bird to sleep.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09Now Steve's only hope is to give Mother Nature a hand.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13If we can get her fed up, get some strength in her, get some
0:11:13 > 0:11:19decent nutrition into her, we stand some chance of getting her to heal.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23To stand any chance of flying again,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26this kestrel needs to recuperate in an aviary.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Steve's taking her to animal sanctuary Ark on the Edge,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39home to all creatures great and small.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Particularly beautiful part of the world, this.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46All of the heather's out so I love coming up here this time of year.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Pat Kingsnorth has a lot of experience with birds of prey.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00You can see her left wing is a bit squiffy.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03She's dislocated basically her elbow.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06The bones are not sitting together
0:12:06 > 0:12:10so when she stretches out the elbow's actually popping in and out.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Right, we'll go and let her in the aviary, then, see how she gets on.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15- Excellent.- OK, come this way.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21You can see there's plenty of space in here.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23She won't be able to hover in here, obviously,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25but I don't expect her to do that soon anyway.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28It's really about trying to get her to use the wing
0:12:28 > 0:12:30and actually move about.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35- Ooh, she's out.- She's out. - She actually semi-flew across there.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Normally what they do is they take a chick and they'll go in a corner
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and then they just open their wings up and cover it all up and eat it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47So when she gets to that stage she'll be ready to go.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50If she comes right and she can hover
0:12:50 > 0:12:53then she's back to where she came from.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Which is across the hills and that direction by, what,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- about 10 miles or so, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04At the moment I wouldn't be betting my sort of next pay cheque
0:13:04 > 0:13:09on her making full recovery but we've seen worse cases get better
0:13:09 > 0:13:13so it's always worth giving them the chance, and
0:13:13 > 0:13:17hopefully she'll prove our doubts or our concerns unfounded.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Her future is uncertain.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26But with some more TLC there is still a chance
0:13:26 > 0:13:28this beautiful bird could fly again.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Across the County Durham countryside,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44equine vet Sybil is also out on her rounds.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50It's fabulous to drive through fields...erm, sheep, cows, alpacas,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53there's some camels, and obviously horses,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55which...it's very nice to see them.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I like to keep a proprietorial eye on them all.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Sybil sees up to 50 horses a week.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Could I just have it, please?
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Of all shapes and sizes.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14There's a very large variety of horses in Teesdale,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18right from the traditional Dales ponies, fell ponies,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and they go right on up to top-level showjumpers.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- Come on, then.- OK.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Sybil's on her way to a pony with a locked leg.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It's a common condition in young horses,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42but not always easy to treat.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46He's a yearling so he won't be handled very well
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and it's a back leg that's locked so he'll be quite keen to kick
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and he'll also be very anxious about being handled,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56and he's probably a bit anxious about the fact that his leg doesn't work,
0:14:56 > 0:14:57so he might be a bit feisty.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01The main thing for me is to, A, fix the horse,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03and then, B, not get kicked.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Got a pony with a dodgy leg?
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- Yes.- Excellent! We're at the right spot.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Ten months ago,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20the Brunskill family spotted this pony in an unlikely place.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Well, he was running round the graveyard up there.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I think he'd been running wild for a few months, hadn't he?
0:15:29 > 0:15:32He'd been knocking headstones over.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33I think they decided enough was enough
0:15:33 > 0:15:36or they were going to end up shooting him.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39You couldn't go near him. The police tried to get hold of him,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42the RSPCA tried to get hold of him, nobody could get hold of him.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But, the Brunskills had a brainwave.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49John decided to go and get the little one there and take him up
0:15:49 > 0:15:53to the cemetery and he just followed him back down so...
0:15:53 > 0:15:57And cos he was in the cemetery, we've called him Greyfriars Bobby
0:15:57 > 0:15:58after the dog.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04So, it's a careful approach to this wild child.
0:16:04 > 0:16:05Come on, Bobby, hello, love.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09OK...
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It certainly looks like it's a locking patella.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Let's just see what we can find.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Good boy!
0:16:22 > 0:16:23I know, your leg is stuck.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38CLICK There we are.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40That must have felt good.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43What's happening is he... he is locking his kneecap
0:16:43 > 0:16:48and it's because he's growing fast so his muscles are quite weak
0:16:48 > 0:16:51compared to the sudden new bone length that he's got
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and the way - horses have quite special kneecaps,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56that's why they can sleep standing up.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00He doesn't have the muscle strength to pick this up and get it off
0:17:00 > 0:17:03so what he needs... Yes, I fixed you!
0:17:03 > 0:17:06..is... it will come undone but what you guys need to do to unlock it
0:17:06 > 0:17:10for him is get him to bend it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Bobby, you're so nice!
0:17:12 > 0:17:15So, all you have to do is pick up his toe...
0:17:15 > 0:17:19that's it... and bring it forwards. That's it.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Handling him every day, two or three hours on a morning,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24two or three hours an afternoon
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and he was just so wild you couldn't do anything at all.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30He's just a lovely little pony now.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Which has made Sybil's job a whole lot easier.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37That's astonishing for such a little pony to be so well-behaved.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Erm, and that really gives you an idea of what kind of people they are.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45And even their Rottweiler was a model of good manners so...
0:17:46 > 0:17:50That is the most fun part... is the nice people, really.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02In Dunfermline there's a much more serious case for
0:18:02 > 0:18:04heart and lung expert, Craig Devine.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Zoe has a life-threatening condition. With her airway
0:18:10 > 0:18:13closing like this she could, asphyxiate, really, at any point.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18When Zoe collapsed, owners Jim and Irene almost lost all hope.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It was touch and go, like, you know.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I said to Jim, "She's going to die..."
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I just... I just thought she was going to die and that was it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30I'm apprehensive but I'm confident that we need to fix her.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34The life-saving operation Zoe's about to undergo, can be risky.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Try and keep her tongue forward. - All right.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49'This is a difficult procedure, this is a tiny little dog.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51'There's not a lot of room for error.'
0:19:03 > 0:19:04OK...
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Craig inserts the catheter and the stent.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Stand back.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Now fluoroscopy, or live X-rays, let him
0:19:12 > 0:19:14guide it slowly down Zoe's windpipe.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Once the stent's released, there is no going back.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35With painstaking precision, Craig releases it into Zoe's windpipe.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Now, only an X-ray will show if the stent is perfectly positioned.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Right, OK.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Everything's gone fine. The stent is in place now,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55we just want to check and see the positioning of the stent.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57And that's what this X-ray will show us.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02And then, hopefully, we can all go down the pub.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I can already tell she's breathing a lot more easily
0:20:05 > 0:20:07with the stent in place.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09OK, that's it.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11BEEP
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Right, so there we can see the stent is now in position
0:20:14 > 0:20:17in her trachea, it's a perfect position so everything's fine.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Just where we wanted it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Listen to that lovely airflow. Do you remember how it was all...
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- Whistly. - ..whistly to start with?- Yes. - Nice and open now.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Once she's awake and she's breathing normally with her upper airway,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34she'll be a much happier, much more comfortable little dog.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It was as difficult as I thought it would be, to be honest.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It was no walk in the park but we knew it was going to be difficult
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and it's in place.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50But a walk in the park is just what the doctor ordered for Zoe.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54In just a week, she is transformed.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Zoe!- Zoe, come on.- Come on, babe.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00And Jim and Irene are thrilled with Craig's handiwork.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02He's a miracle worker!
0:21:02 > 0:21:03SHE CHUCKLES
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Isn't he? Yeah.- Spot on, really. - He's a miracle worker.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10100 times better. She breathes normally now.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- She's a different dog.- Oh, aye. - She's much livelier now,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- isn't she, Jim.- Aye.- Yeah.- Brilliant.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23At last, Zoe can get on with the business of being a dog!
0:21:25 > 0:21:27TOY SQUEAKS
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Equine vet Sybil's patch stretches over
0:21:36 > 0:21:40860 square miles of County Durham countryside.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Today she's taking on the role of dentist - which is never easy.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50HORSE NEIGHS
0:21:52 > 0:21:57Horses usually need to be sedated. They will put up with you
0:21:57 > 0:21:59doing dentistry without,
0:21:59 > 0:22:00however it's very difficult for them
0:22:00 > 0:22:03to open their mouths wide enough and relax.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Sybil's mission? Tackling the troublesome teeth of two horses.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Horse teeth grow continually, so annual checkups are vital.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22But, just like humans, horses aren't too keen on the dentist.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28They can kick and they can rear up and knock you over
0:22:28 > 0:22:31or some of them will deliberately squash you into a wall
0:22:31 > 0:22:35so they can, they can behave in a manner that's very dangerous.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37If Sybil has any chance of keeping things calm,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42she'll need to sedate both horses. First up is Merlin.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44If you leave and give him to me.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Got him!
0:22:58 > 0:23:00That was not friendly.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05With over 20 years' experience, Sybil knows when to back off.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Too risky for him and too risky for me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10His back teeth are underneath his eye
0:23:10 > 0:23:14which... if he's throwing his head around and tossing his head about
0:23:14 > 0:23:16like he is now that could break my arm when it's fully
0:23:16 > 0:23:20inside his mouth. He's going to have to be brought into the clinic
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and restrained in stocks for further care.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Oh...
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Next is Tino.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Poor Tino, he's got no idea.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Hello, gorgeous!
0:23:36 > 0:23:38He's quite scared.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Oh.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41He's just being good.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46There you are.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47So far so good.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55And now for the horse-sized speculum to help Tino.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57"Open wide!".
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Can do better than that.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Some teeth are very much longer than the other teeth.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06OK, so that's sharp.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It's like a shark's teeth... yes.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10That's worn...
0:24:12 > 0:24:14A quick rinse to disinfect...
0:24:16 > 0:24:19This is the same stuff that dentists use as well.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And then the rasp, to file down overgrown teeth and sharp edges.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33RASP WHIRRS
0:24:33 > 0:24:34I know, it's better...!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36You'll like it when I'm finished.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44So, that's a piece of tartar that I've
0:24:44 > 0:24:46picked off his tooth.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Oh, I know, you haven't done your teeth, have you?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You've never brushed them.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's looking much better in here now.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00All the sharp points that would have been causing him pain
0:25:00 > 0:25:02have been reduced...
0:25:02 > 0:25:07and the very overgrown teeth which are damaging the teeth below them
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and wearing them to the gum line, have been reduced as well.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16So Tino now has a winning smile...
0:25:17 > 0:25:19And for Sybil, it's back on her rounds.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Small-animal vet Steve is also out on the road.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37It's a nice day for a drive out into Teesdale today,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39the sun is out.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47He's heading back out to the animal sanctuary,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49to check on the kestrel's progress.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- How's she getting on?- She's not doing bad.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02The kestrel was brought in six weeks ago with a dislocated wing.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But Steve thought her chances of recovery were slim.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08If there's no hope than we would have to, unfortunately,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11put this beautiful bird to sleep.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20While he's keen to see the kestrel, now named Phyllis -
0:26:20 > 0:26:22the feeling is not mutual.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Hopefully, a chick might tempt his feathered friend.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- WHISPERING:- Come on, out you come.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Good girl. Come on, gorgeous bird, out you come.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38She's just coming out.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41She spotted the chick and she's...
0:26:41 > 0:26:44inch by inch is coming closer, watching, watching...
0:26:46 > 0:26:50She obviously wants the bird more than she's worried about us
0:26:50 > 0:26:54so she's coming out here. I think she'll jump on it any time.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Good move that. That damaged wing...
0:27:03 > 0:27:06the erm... she's carrying it a bit low still.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But it's so close to a normal position
0:27:11 > 0:27:13compared to where it was six, eight weeks ago.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21At least at the moment, you feel really good about the job that you do.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25The things that you get to help animals with... it's amazing.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30There was a bit of doubt in our mind that, you know,
0:27:30 > 0:27:35such a serious injury, for a bird that has to be able to fly and hover
0:27:35 > 0:27:36and hunt for herself...
0:27:38 > 0:27:40The odds are probably against her, actually
0:27:40 > 0:27:43but I'm really pleased, as I say, that we did
0:27:43 > 0:27:45go with our gut feeling and her, sort of,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47fighting spirit shone through.
0:27:50 > 0:27:56Phyllis' wing is almost healed. But still not 100 percent.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59She'll have to sit tight over the winter,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02until she's released in the spring.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06She belongs out on the wind and... you know, over the dale.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09So, that's where we aim to put her.