0:00:02 > 0:00:04This time on Vets 24/7,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07could it be the end of the line for a collapsed alpaca?
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I'm mostly worried about his neck or his back.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14He's not moving his limbs very much.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Partner Gareth Field treats an ungrateful patient.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Hey! Just bit me. Hey?
0:00:21 > 0:00:22Feisty!
0:00:22 > 0:00:27And exotic vet Lance Jepson encounters a python in distress.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29- She's heavy.- Yeah, she's about 6 stone 2,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31last time I weighed her.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37From Swansea to Neath, and the pets that they treat,
0:00:37 > 0:00:38this is a week in the life
0:00:38 > 0:00:42at one of the largest veterinary practices in South Wales.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45This is Vets 24/7.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Early morning on Gower
0:00:54 > 0:00:59and large-animal vet Gwen Rees is responding to an emergency call.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04We're in a bit of a rush to get there, something that's collapsed.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06There's a lot of things that it could be,
0:01:06 > 0:01:12but most of them are things that need to be seen sooner, rather than later.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Oh, that doesn't look...good.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Snap, a pet alpaca, was discovered motionless half an hour ago.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Has he been moving his legs at all?
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Nothing.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31It's definitely in shock cos the heart rate's very high.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Just going to take his temperature.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38The freak accident has been a shock for Snap's owner, Simon.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Ice has formed here on a wet patch
0:01:39 > 0:01:44and he's obviously slipped on it and it looks like he's done the splits.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45The good thing,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I know that he hasn't been lying in it for too long,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50cos there's people coming back and fore all the time.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54At the moment, I'm mostly worried about his neck or his back.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57He's not moving his limbs very much.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Has he been picking his head up off the floor at all?
0:02:02 > 0:02:06- He does respond when I...- Yeah, he responded when I came up to his head.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08He knows we're here, but...
0:02:08 > 0:02:12What I want to do is to get him in, I'm going to give him
0:02:12 > 0:02:14a big shot of steroids...
0:02:14 > 0:02:18- Tidy.- ..which will help to reduce any swelling or inflammation
0:02:18 > 0:02:22that there might be in his neck or his back, on his spinal chord.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24But we need to get him nice and warm as well.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29As Snap is taken off for further treatment,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31his partner, Crackle, can only look on.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38In Swansea, the St James vets
0:02:38 > 0:02:42have been caring for animals for over 100 years.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47As the practice hospital opens for business,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Georgina has arrived with her pet to see partner Gareth Field.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Right, I'm Gareth. I'm a vet. This is Batman, is it?- It is.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00- That's a good name for a little rat. How's he doing?- It's actually she.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- Oh, OK. Sorry.- She was meant to be a boy. But she's all right.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Do you want to show me the lump?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07She'll be happier if you do it, rather than me.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It's just underneath the armpit, by here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12OK, let's have a look. Oh, yeah. Just there.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- OK.- She doesn't seem very bothered by it.- Has it been growing quickly?
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Very quickly.- When did it come up, initially?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- About three weeks ago. - Hello. You're cute, aren't you?
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Rats are quite prone to getting sort of lots of little lumps
0:03:28 > 0:03:33and they can get mammary tumours, so like breast lumps in ladies, really.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36So we can certainly remove that today.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- We'll do our very best for her.- Bye-bye.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- See you.- Bye.- Bye.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46It's sad to say,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50but a lot of people don't want to do this sort of thing for a rat,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52so it's nice when you get somebody like her
0:03:52 > 0:03:56who wants to do the operation and give Batman a go. Yeah, it's good.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Back on Gower, vet Gwen is busy
0:04:04 > 0:04:08turning Snap the alpaca's stable into an emergency room.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12At the moment, because of the shock,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15it means that all his blood vessels
0:04:15 > 0:04:19in the more sort of distant parts of his body
0:04:19 > 0:04:21are sort of closing down
0:04:21 > 0:04:23and that's not helping with the hypothermia.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27There we go.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I'm just giving what's called a bolus,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35which is like one quick injection of some concentrated fluids,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38which have got a really high level of salt in.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41So, treating the shock is basically what I'm doing.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Most sort of deaths in trauma cases would be due to shock,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46or deaths in any cases, really.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49It's a lack of the blood circulating in the body.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52It's more movement than you've done in a while, anyway.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57This drip will provide vital fluids
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and the next few hours will be critical for Simon's pet.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03If he pulls it out, it's not the end of the world
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- because he's up on his feet, so he's had enough of it...- Notify you?
0:05:07 > 0:05:08Yeah, give me a ring.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I'll pop back this afternoon anyway to check on him.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Can't ask for anything else. In the lap of the gods now.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Just for him still to be here, I didn't think he'd last ten minutes,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22prior to calling the vet. So...yeah, touch wood.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Back at the practice,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31it's a big day for Billy the dancing macaw.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Dance. Dance...dance.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Good boy.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- All right?- How are you? - Do you want to bring him through?
0:05:44 > 0:05:48The Robertson family aren't sure if Billy is a boy or a girl.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Come on, Billy. Let's have a look at you.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Keen to know the truth,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55they've brought their parrot to see exotic specialist Lance Jepson.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00- Last time, you said you think he's a girl.- Yeah. But we'll find out...
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I hope you're wrong.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- I've got a 50% chance. - Yeah.- So, you know...
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Um...- Why do you think that, Lance?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The reason I think he may be a girl
0:06:12 > 0:06:18is actually we've got a bit of a gap in the pelvic bones. Normally...
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Basically, it boils down to females have to lay eggs and males don't.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I want to have a listen to him.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Yeah, so I'll go out of the room.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Yeah, OK. That's the way we're going to do it. That's fine.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31He pouted at me last time.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36- Yeah, that's fine. So, I'll towel him up.- Good luck.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37HE LAUGHS
0:06:37 > 0:06:39He should be used to it by now, shouldn't he?
0:06:42 > 0:06:43PARROT SQUAWKS
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Watch that beak. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49PARROT SQUAWKS LOUDLY
0:06:50 > 0:06:55So what we're doing, we just took blood samples, so we can DNA sex.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The thing about a lot of the parrot family
0:06:58 > 0:07:02is that both sexes look the same to us.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Presumably, they can tell the difference.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Now, obviously, Billy here isn't too happy about the whole thing.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11PARROT SQUAWKS
0:07:11 > 0:07:14There you go. Leave him settle for a moment.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I've taken a small blood sample,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22which we'll send off to the lab for the DNA sex.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- OK. Lovely bird. Lovely bird. All right.- Thank you very much.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Good, thanks very much.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Cheers. Bye.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32The lab results will reveal all in a few days' time.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Next door, in the prep room, Batman the rat is under anaesthetic
0:07:40 > 0:07:42and is about to face the surgeon's knife,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46as vet Gareth prepares to remove the lump.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48It is quite a delicate operation.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's obviously a lot smaller than it would be in a cat or a dog.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56And there's also the risk that a little blood loss to a rat
0:07:56 > 0:07:58can be quite a lot, really.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05We're just making a skin incision to start with.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09It's important to sort of do the operation as safely as you can,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12but mostly because of the much higher risk of the anaesthetic.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16So far, her breathing's been very stable, hasn't changed.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Sometimes, I think, particularly for people who don't own rats,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22"Oh, it's only a rat. What are you doing this for?"
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But she's still a lovely pet and part of the family,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28so it's just nice to be able to do the operation
0:08:28 > 0:08:29and give her a chance, really.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31There we go.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Transfer that into there.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Perfect. OK. So now we just need to close her up.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Rats are notorious for being able to chew their wounds open
0:08:40 > 0:08:42and take their stitches out,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44so it's important to try and get it as neat as you can,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47so that the rat's more likely to leave it alone.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So that's the hope.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02On Gower, vet Gwen is returning to check in on Snap the alpaca,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04who collapsed on ice this morning.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08All right, little one.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Aw!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21All right.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22All right.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Can you sit up?
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Hmm.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Not looking much happier.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38I'm a bit worried that we're not even trying to make an effort to stand.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42He's obviously either hit his head or something on the ice,
0:09:42 > 0:09:47cos that was thick ice and he's gone straight through it.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Anything else, he wouldn't be like that now.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Are you able to give me a hand?
0:09:50 > 0:09:54We'll just try and pick him up onto his feet and see if he can take any weight at all.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Oh.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57There we are.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03OK.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05We certainly look better now that we're on our feet.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Just leave him go for a minute.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Oh, you want to eat!
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Well...you look a little bit better, now you're on your feet!
0:10:19 > 0:10:21You're not supposed to be eating.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Getting up and eating is a pretty good sign, usually! So...
0:10:27 > 0:10:33I think that's called a Lazarus moment. That's why you do the job.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It doesn't happen often. Well, look at that!
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- How do you feel?- Oh! Relief!
0:10:40 > 0:10:43The power of the vet, innit!
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Aw! I love my job!
0:10:51 > 0:10:53In Waunarlwydd, Billy the macaw
0:10:53 > 0:10:56is recovering from his visit to the vet.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Loves a Sunday lunch.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01But he's got his own bowl, with the seeds and everything.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- But we've taken him out so he can enjoy his Sunday lunch.- Yeah.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- He always loves his dinner. - He's quiet, yeah.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09If we don't put his down when we put ours down,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11he tries to come over to us.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Whatever he drops, the dog will eat!
0:11:13 > 0:11:16So it saves us cleaning it up as well!
0:11:16 > 0:11:20She's underneath him every time he eats. Aren't you?
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Billy is more than a pet parrot.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25He's part of the Robertson family.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30He was my dad's bird. My dad passed away with cancer.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35And I didn't meet my dad till I was 15. My dad and my mum had split up.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40So, I got quite close to my dad, since I was 15.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The last photo I've got of my dad when he was unwell
0:11:43 > 0:11:45was me and my dad standing by his cage.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48So, yeah, it means a lot.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I think he's more than part of the family -
0:11:50 > 0:11:53he's a bit of my dad as well, like.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55You going to dance?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58HE WHISTLES
0:11:58 > 0:12:00The DNA results eventually confirm
0:12:00 > 0:12:04that Billy the dancing parrot is in fact a girl.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Back at the hospital, partner Gareth is making sure Batman the rat
0:12:11 > 0:12:13has recovered from her operation.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Just going to check on Batman, see how she's doing.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20We've got to try and find her though, somewhere.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24She's hiding.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Oh, there she is.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Hello.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29How are you doing?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32How are you doing?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Oi!
0:12:35 > 0:12:36You're feeling defensive!
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Just bit me. Hey? Feisty!
0:12:42 > 0:12:46She's all right, isn't she? I think she's awake!
0:12:46 > 0:12:47So she's looking good.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Batman's owners, Georgina and James, will have to make sure
0:12:51 > 0:12:53she doesn't nibble the wound with those sharp teeth.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55There you are. Sorry about the wait.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- It's OK.- Just finishing off the final touches to the buster collar.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- There you are.- They won't stay long. - No, exactly. There you are.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04- Oh, hello!- How are you doing?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- Aw!- She had one little nibble. - I did hear!
0:13:07 > 0:13:10That's the nurse's sort of vague attempts at a little buster collar.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Good luck trying to get that on her!
0:13:12 > 0:13:14And basically, sort of scooping it over her head...
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Which isn't going to happen.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- Yeah, but that's as an emergency, if need be.- OK.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- But hopefully, Batman will live to fight another die.- Yeah!
0:13:24 > 0:13:27That was the lump there. So it was a fair size.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29That's horrible.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31It's not the nicest. No.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33A bit grim, isn't it?
0:13:33 > 0:13:36But we'll keep hold of it, so if you do want it analysed ever,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- we can do it.- Thank you.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- Thank you.- Bye.- Take care.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It's nice when you sort of do an operation and send them home.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46It's always satisfying.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Some patients are just too big to come to clinic.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57In Neath, one of the UK's leading exotic specialists,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Lance Jepson, is on a home visit.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- I've come to have a look at this python.- Yeah, she's at the back.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07A rescued 16ft-long python, Baby Worm,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10has been having breathing difficulties
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and just examining her is going to be a challenge.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Are you going to come out? - Do you want to do it?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Grumpy.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Oh, and a bit snotty.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Oh, she's heavy, you know?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Yeah, she's about 6 stone 2, last time I weighed her.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- Is she?- Yeah.- OK. I've got her.- Right.- Oh.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Right, if I can have the business end.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- Everybody OK?- Yeah.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Good girl.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44See if she'll take a breath.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Well, there's no sign of any mouth rot.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49She's got quite a lot of mucus in there. I'm just waiting to
0:14:49 > 0:14:50see if she'll take a breath.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54And then we'll maybe get a quick look down her windpipe if she does.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I think she's going to just hold her breath.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59What I want to do, while I've got the opportunity,
0:14:59 > 0:15:00is to try and take a swab.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- When did she last feed? - She hasn't fed since we've had her.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- You've offered and she hasn't taken it?- Yeah.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10OK.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Right, will you take her head, please? OK. Thank you.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18A lot of people will buy a snake, which is 3ft long,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and there is that thing about, OK, it grows to 16ft long, yeah, fine.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24I can cope with that.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28But actually there is no real perception
0:15:28 > 0:15:32of what a 10ft, 12ft, 16ft-long python,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34how big it actually is
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and what it entails to look after it.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41We rescued her from Newport and she came back to us then.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44But she's with us for life now.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Baby Worm is getting all the care she needs now
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and Lance will keep an eye on her condition in the future.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Back at the main practice in Sketty,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01there's one little patient who can't seem to stay away.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Batman the rat was admitted overnight for chewing her stitches
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and vet Sarah Martin is going to sort things out.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11A natural thing for them to do is
0:16:11 > 0:16:13if something different is there
0:16:13 > 0:16:15that they will try and nibble.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Right, Batman, let's have a little look.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Employing her best Blue Peter skills,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Sarah thinks she's found the answer.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Challenging is the word, all right!
0:16:32 > 0:16:35And I think we've accepted that challenge.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38That's why we're still here at the moment, trying to come up with stuff.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41But yeah, small animal, small wound,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43but massive problem at the moment.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Batman must wear this customised collar,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49or her wound will fail to heal.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Let's see if we can slide this over her head.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55How long it's going to stay there is a different story,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59or whether it's going to fit, in fact, may be a different story.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03I think if I can get her ears past it, this might be a winner actually.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Just need to stay still, sweetie.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12She doesn't look delighted.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I don't think she'll be able to get it off, mind.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17At least she's not immediately taken it off,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20which is more success than we've had so far.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Vets sometimes don't know what's coming through the door.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Hi there. Come in.- One fat cat.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I'm Gareth, I'm the vet. How are you doing?
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Jean and her son Jeff are worried about their family cat.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- This is Tiger, is it?- Yeah.- How long have you had Tiger for, then?
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- A month.- Oh, right. - It was about November.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52October the 8th is on it, I think.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55He was quite a large cat when we had him.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- I just think that he's got larger. - He's got fatter, has he?
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- He's got fatter, yeah. - He's just like that, in the house.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- He's not moving.- He's not moving around much, is he?- No.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08That's exactly how he is all day.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12To be honest, I'm quite worried about him.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16He is big, he's very skinny and it's his belly that's very big.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20You can see his shoulder blades are sticking out. There's no fat on him.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Having a feel inside him, he's got some lumps in his abdomen.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They feel like growths, unfortunately.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I hadn't thought of that.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32All this sort of lump here is like a... Just there.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35That's like a big lump inside him here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's in the region of his kidney.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42So what you're telling me...
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I oughtn't go back with him?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Possibly not.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53- I'm worried that it's not good news for him, really.- OK.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Really, it depends on whether we sort of just spend ten minutes
0:18:57 > 0:19:01getting an answer for you and that would be a little scan,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05which won't hurt him, it's like an ultrasound scan that ladies have.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09I want to be sure for you and him that we're doing the right thing.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Yeah. No way could I just keep him like that.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17We'll see what the results are, but if he's not eating
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- and he's got no energy. - He's going to get worse.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- OK.- OK?- OK.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24That'll be 10-15 minutes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Gareth is so concerned about Tiger's condition
0:19:29 > 0:19:32that he immediately scans him to prove his diagnosis.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- Sweetie.- All right there, boy?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36There we go, my darling.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Good lad.- Good boy.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41That's the lump that we can feel, sort of here.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42That is his kidney.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I'm just going to gently do his measure.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50In a cat, they should be about that size. About sort of 4x3cm.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54That's measuring about sort of 7cm long. So quite big.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59And Tiger's blood results confirm Gareth's worst fears.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Yeah, he's in sort of massive kidney failure.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07So it all fits in with kidney disease, really.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I think it's bad news for Tiger.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12So we'll have to go through and speak to his owner
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and I think it might be kinder to let him go, to be honest.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25The care of livestock and farm animals
0:20:25 > 0:20:28make up a quarter of the vets' workload.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Today, Gwen Rees is heading to the Neath Valley
0:20:31 > 0:20:34to curb a young stallion's manly ways.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Storm's already a father of four
0:20:36 > 0:20:39and his owner Nicola wants to stop him breeding.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44I've had him since he was 16 months, so close on nearly four years now.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48So yeah, he's my pet, my baby.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53Sedating an animal as large as Storm doesn't come without risks.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56OK, if you just give that to me...
0:20:56 > 0:20:59If everyone else walks away.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Good boy. Good boy.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Good boy.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08All right. Steady, boy.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12So if you just basically... like that, really.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I'm going to be in there. Perfect.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I wouldn't change him for the world, to be honest,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20but it needs to be done.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28You wouldn't want them to go through pain, the same as a child.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33They are like our children. So he'll have a lot of love later.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Watch him now, as he gets up.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40The main risk is when he gets back up again, so we'll be here anyway.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Whoa, boy.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46If you could just sit on his head, please.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- Good boy.- Steady, Storm.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- Good boy. Good boy. - We're almost there.- Good boy.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Good boy.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00OK. OK.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03I'd rather he would have waited maybe one more minute to wake up,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07until I was away, but everything else was absolutely fine.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Ready to come off anyway.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Whoa, boy. Not yet.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15OK.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Storm's a bit woozy after his anaesthetic
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and as he finds his racing feet,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22he could be a potential danger to himself
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and the people trying to help him.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Whoa, boy.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Calm down. Calm down.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Good boy!
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I'm alive. The horse is castrated.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36I try not to tell people I enjoy castrating things.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I do wonder why I'm single sometimes!
0:22:39 > 0:22:41SHE LAUGHS
0:22:47 > 0:22:51In the practice hospital, vet Gareth's got the difficult task
0:22:51 > 0:22:54of breaking the bad news of Tiger's diagnosis to his owners.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Tiger's fine. He's been really good.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- He's just having a cuddle off one of the nurses.- Yes?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- It's not very good news though.- No.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- Um... Basically, he's in sort of severe kidney failure.- Yes.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- His kidneys have packed up. - Most cats do...go that way.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- It's common in old cats. - It's common in old cats.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- There isn't really any treatment for him.- There's nothing for him.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21No. I think it's probably the kindest thing to let him go peacefully.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- So is that OK?- OK, then.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We'll give him an injection, he falls asleep very gently,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30so he won't feel anything, he won't suffer.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Hello, darling!
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Are you going to leave me?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Are you going to leave me, Tiger?
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Are you purring?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41TIGER PURRS QUIETLY
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Are you purring? No.
0:23:45 > 0:23:51You've been telling me for about four days, leave me alone.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I don't want to be bothered.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57You don't want to see him being put to sleep, do you?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I don't think I want to see you put the needle in.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04That's totally understandable. Lots of people don't, that's fine.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- I don't think I could do that. - That's fine.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Sharon will give him a big cuddle and he won't feel anything, he'll gently fall asleep.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13And he'll fall asleep. Well, that's all he's been doing.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17And I've got to be sensible about it, haven't I?
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I love you more than you love me, evidently.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24OK. Right.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Good boy, aren't you?
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Thank you very much for your kindness, all of you. OK?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- All the best.- And thank you for all you've done.- OK.- Thank you.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39- Goodbye.- Bye.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48It's very sad, isn't it?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's always sad, no matter how many times you sort of have to do it,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58but you have to remember that you're doing it for the right reasons,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02doing it for Tiger's sake and it's the kindest thing, really.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Animals give lots of joy, but it's always that sad moment
0:25:08 > 0:25:11that comes when you have to sort of let go, really.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14In his case, I think, if we tried to help,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18we'd just be prolonging things and it's kinder to let him go.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20All right, my sweetie.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23There's a good boy.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26There's a good boy. All right, my darling.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28There we go, good boy.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31He'll fall asleep now. Good boy, Tiger.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34There we go. Good boy.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37He found a good home in the end. It's a shame it wasn't for long.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Jean couldn't face life without a pet
0:25:46 > 0:25:50and a few weeks later she adopted another rescue cat call The Guvnor.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00In Bonymaen, Georgina and James are making sure that Batman the rat
0:26:00 > 0:26:02is following the vet's orders.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06She hates it! She's getting so much stuff stuck in it.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Yeah, you can see now,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11that's all she does is dig and try to get it off.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13But it is for her own good.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14Yeah.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19I looked after a friend's rat when I was little and it was amazing.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23It used to come and sit on your lap and you could tickle its belly
0:26:23 > 0:26:26and it would roll around and stuff. It loved people.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It changed my views on rats, basically.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32They're a lot cuter than you imagine.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36I wasn't sure about them in the beginning, but I do like them.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Hopefully, I can take that off in a few days when she calms down.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44The customised collar worked
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and Batman's wound eventually healed up nicely.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Three days after his "dancing on ice" accident,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Gwen is visiting Snap the alpaca
0:26:57 > 0:26:59to see if he's ready to return to the field.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03All right, Snap?
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Yeah, that looks really... That looks fine, doesn't it?
0:27:08 > 0:27:09Hey, dude. Remember me?
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Probably not. You were pretty outers last time, weren't you?
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Right then, boy. Love your hair. It's like mine in the rain.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Come on, then.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23At last, Snap and Crackle can be reunited.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28# Je t'aime
0:27:28 > 0:27:30# Je t'aime
0:27:30 > 0:27:33# Oui, je t'aime. #
0:27:33 > 0:27:37It's really quite emotional, watching him go back and run over like that.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Oh, look at them! Aw!
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Aw, they're reunited at last!
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Aw! Awesome!
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Happy ending!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53You've got to try and remember the good stories,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56because they definitely carry you through the bad ones,
0:27:56 > 0:27:57and today's one of those good stories.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Just seeing those two alpacas running towards each other,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I got really choked up!
0:28:02 > 0:28:05It was really nice. Yeah, it's definitely a day to remember, today.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08I love it. I'm chuffed! Walking on air!
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Next time on Vets 24/7,
0:28:13 > 0:28:18partner Gareth Field gives a cat a Hollywood smile...
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Even with his pointy canines, they look OK.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24He'll still look tough!
0:28:24 > 0:28:27..70-year-old Tommy the tortoise is in trouble...
0:28:27 > 0:28:30He's gone with me, through thick and thin.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Everybody's laughing that I'm getting upset about a tortoise.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37..and newest vet Rebecca Lee gets her hands dirty.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Gosh, she's got... BREAKS WIND