0:00:02 > 0:00:03This time on Vets 24/7...
0:00:03 > 0:00:08Custard the guinea pig's booked in for a delicate operation with Geraint.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Got a very obvious pair of testicles there, hasn't he?
0:00:12 > 0:00:14He's very well endowed.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It's an extremely worrying time for Stripey's owner.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Surprising how attached you can get to a goat.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26And after an injection, Alex tries to make amends.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Well done! Oh, I'm so mean.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Now you're really sulking, aren't you?
0:00:31 > 0:00:35From Swansea to Neath and the pets that they treat,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38on duty night and day with the veterinary surgeons
0:00:38 > 0:00:42of one of the largest practices in South Wales.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46This is Vets 24/7.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Early morning in Swansea,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and partner Gareth Field has arrived for his
0:00:55 > 0:00:57first consultation of the day.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Come on! Quick, let's go!
0:01:03 > 0:01:05You're on my shoulder all the time,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08- aren't you?- Waiting in reception is a volunteer
0:01:08 > 0:01:10from the Cats Protection charity.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Hi, Linda, come in.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16So who's this little one today?
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Well, this is one of our little kittens and he has a bad ear.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Hello, boy. Oh, he's brave, isn't the?
0:01:22 > 0:01:24He's a very confident little boy.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26He was a little stray.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28How long has his ear been bad for?
0:01:28 > 0:01:31It's been about a week or so.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I've been cleaning it but it's weeping and waxy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Can he hear or do you think he's deaf?
0:01:37 > 0:01:40I'm not sure. I click my fingers.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47- I think he might...- A little bit? - I don't think his hearing is very good.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Sometimes white cats can be deaf, particularly cats with a blue eye.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57So the white gene and the blue-eyed gene are also linked to deafness.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59So that could be a problem.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01That wouldn't explain the mucky ear.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03They are born deaf, basically.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06He could just be unlucky and have two problems with his ears.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- Come on, then.- Looks like he's bonded to you well, hasn't he?
0:02:10 > 0:02:11Don't tempt me now.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Have you got any others at the moment, or are you just fostering?
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- I've got four others I'm fostering at the moment.- OK.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I am very tempted to keep him.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22So he might not like this bit very much.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Good boy, aren't you?
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Lovely.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Good lad. That red sort of lump in there shouldn't really be there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It looks like he might have a growth down his ear.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35What we do - need an anaesthetic to have a good look down there,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38so we can sort of check the ear fully and be sure what we're dealing with.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Hello!
0:02:40 > 0:02:43And then we can decide what to do from there,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46but probably surgery to remove it.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49There's different levels of surgery, how aggressive we are.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52SHE LAUGHS
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Good boy, come on!
0:02:55 > 0:02:56You get him back.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00- You're not a parrot.- He is a delightful little cat.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04It's got to be done, whatever is best for him. He has to come first.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12The St James veterinary practice has been caring for animals
0:03:12 > 0:03:14large and small for over 100 years.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20The team of 25 vets cover the 70 square miles of the Gower Peninsula.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Vet Alex Franklin has spent the last eight years working
0:03:26 > 0:03:28in large animal practice.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34We're on our way down to one of our farms on Gower, Bank Farm.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39We're going TB testing there, so we'll visit twice this week,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41once today and once in three days' time.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44And check whether we have TB in the herd.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50Lovely stuff. Let's go.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Bovine tuberculosis can be a big problem for cattle farmers.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58And Tom Roderick's prize-winning Herefords
0:03:58 > 0:04:00have failed their last few tests.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Come on.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04There we go. Go on, then.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10If it wasn't for the TB, we'd have a lot more cattle.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14You can't invest in something if you're not going to sell it
0:04:14 > 0:04:17when you need to sell it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Alex will be testing all 25 of Tom's pedigree herd today.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27So the TB test is a comparative skin test,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30so we have to measure the thickness of their skin,
0:04:30 > 0:04:35check there's no lumps or bumps and then we inject avian tuberculin
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and bovine tuberculin.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Give it 72 hours and see what the readings tell us.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42COW LOWS
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Hoping that thing don't shut on her neck.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I'll get both hands ready.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Alex tests nearly 8,000 animals for TB each year.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56And it's not without its dangers.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58This is the bit where you might get your hand trapped.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Myself, I've only had to deal with crushed hands and fingers.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07But you can just imagine, this is a big animal -
0:05:07 > 0:05:10if she wanted to throw her head around while I've got my hands near
0:05:10 > 0:05:14her neck, she could quite easily crush my hand
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and I'd be off work for a little while.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20If the herd don't pass the test,
0:05:20 > 0:05:25Tom won't be able to buy or sell any cattle for up to 120 days.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Well, the first thing is, if it doesn't pass, it's got to go to slaughter.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34We'll have a rough idea, then, by the time she comes back on Friday,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38whether we are in with the chance of going clear.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It'll be a long 72-hour wait.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42- All done?- All done.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55At the main hospital, there's a new arrival.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Heavyweight English Bulldog Hank has come in for surgery.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Come on in, right.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10All right, Hank, the bulldog.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Hey, big man, you doing all right, doing OK?
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Operating today is partner Geraint Jones.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- Has he been OK since we last saw him?- Yeah, no problems at all.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22OK, fantastic. What I'm going to do is pop him up on the table,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25have a quick look at him now before...
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Big man, whoa.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28There we are. Right, then.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32So the background to Hank is he's a rescue dog?
0:06:32 > 0:06:38Yes, so he has come into the charity the Edward Foundation,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41which is a breed-specific English Bulldog rescue.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And you've got a number of other bulldogs as well, haven't you?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I've got three of my own, yeah, and then we foster.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Has he been OK with them? He's been settling all right? - Yeah, really, really good.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52That's good, that's fine.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58So one of the issues he's got, he's got a very sort of regressed tail.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02And there's quite a lot of inflammation in the skin fold around the actual tail.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06And it's very close to his back passage so they can get extremely
0:07:06 > 0:07:11itchy. So today's procedure is to remove the portion of the tail there,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and create a new sort of, like, stump, I guess,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18with a bit of skin over it so he doesn't have the screw in the back end of the tail.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Right, you be good.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23OK, marvellous, there we are. I'll pop him into a kennel
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and give you a ring in a bit, tell you how he's getting on.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Come on, then, big fella. One, two, three...
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Here we are.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Good boy. There we are.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Just down the corridor...
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Just hold that.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Olaf the kitten is being prepared for theatre.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Gareth's going to take out the growth in his ear,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52but it's not the only thing he'll be removing.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Seeing as he's having the anaesthetic,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57we'd decided to take the opportunity to castrate him as well,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59so he's having a bad day, unfortunately.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05So, he's a rescue cat and he's going to potentially have a re-homing
0:08:05 > 0:08:08situation so, understandably, the charity want to have him
0:08:08 > 0:08:10castrated beforehand because there's a big problem
0:08:10 > 0:08:12with stray cats and overpopulation.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16So it's sensible to get them neutered if you're not planning to breed.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19So he's only got tiny little testicles at the moment, so it'll be fiddly.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Make a little incision, it starts to pop out.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's like microsurgery for... There we are.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It's really fiddly.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Usually, they're a little bit bigger when you're doing this, but...
0:08:33 > 0:08:37we won't tell Olaf that or else he'll have a complex.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39And two.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45This is all over in two to three minutes, really.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Olaf's getting the top-and-tail treatment.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Time to remove the polyp in his ear.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55So that's the growth here, basically.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59So now, what we need to do is gently start to see
0:08:59 > 0:09:02if we can pull it out of the ear.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09There we are. So that's what we wanted. See the little polyp -
0:09:09 > 0:09:11that's its stalk all the way down there.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16That's what's come out. He had his bits off at the back end,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20his ears plucked and cleaned of any problems.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22So hopefully he'll go home a new man.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34On Gower, Alex is en route to her final call of the day.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38It's about a quarter past five and we're just going to see a pig that's...
0:09:39 > 0:09:43The pig's owner is concerned that he is uncomfortable and painful and
0:09:43 > 0:09:46lame. So I'm going to go down and take a look and see what's what.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48When we see pigs,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52they tend to dislike vets immensely and make a lot of noise at us.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56So, hopefully, this one will like me and we'll get on just fine.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Hello! Hi, guys.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Oh, dear. Come on, then.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10All right, all right. I know it's sore.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Oh, dearie me!
0:10:15 > 0:10:17All right, sweetheart. It's OK.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Oh, you've come for a little scratch, there you are.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26It's all right. It's all right!
0:10:28 > 0:10:32OK, there is a wound there on the front as well and I think it's a
0:10:32 > 0:10:35combination. Yes, we may well have pulled it and it is sore,
0:10:35 > 0:10:36but actually there is a wound as well.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Infection's got in and that's what's causing the swelling.
0:10:39 > 0:10:45So we are looking at the need for anti-inflammatories and some antibiotics as well.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48There's a good girl!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51These pigs may look pampered but for smallholder Ceri,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54they're not pets. They're her dinner.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57They were booked in for next week, so, yeah,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59they've had a reprieve now.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02They can have a couple... Yeah, they can have a couple of extra weeks.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04SHE LAUGHS
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It puts a bit of food on the table, doesn't it?
0:11:07 > 0:11:12- Grow your own!- She's going to make a lot of noise when I inject her.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- Yeah, don't worry. - Oh, you are so good.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Well done!- What a good girl.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Oh, well done! That was brilliant!
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Aren't you a good girl? - Well done, you.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26That was brilliant!
0:11:26 > 0:11:28No wonder you guys don't like me.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Oh, well done!
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Oh, I'm so mean!
0:11:32 > 0:11:36See, now you're really sulking, aren't you?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It's got to be done quickly.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40It's a knack of the job. If I didn't do it quickly,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42she wouldn't get her medicine.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Oh, are we still friends? Oh!
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Alex has come to the end of another typical shift as a large-animal vet.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51When you're working on farms,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53you're definitely grubby by the end of the day.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56So, yeah, a nice clean-off washes
0:11:56 > 0:12:01the day's chores off and enjoy some evening TV or a stroll.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Back at the main hospital, when the clients leave for the night,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12the work doesn't stop.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18It's time for Hank's tail removal surgery.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Here we are, good lad. Here we are.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25To gauge the scale of the operation, Geraint checks his X-rays.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29This is the base here of the back, going into the pelvis.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34And then he's got a load of random vertebrae which are fused together
0:12:34 > 0:12:36and it has given him this twisted appearance.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And when you think of a normal dog, it has got a big, waggy tail.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41These are all being compressed like an accordion.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44So it is interesting to see how much of the tail we need to take off,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46really, just to remove the problem.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Geraint only performs around three of these operations each year.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52These are not that common, to be honest.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Because we are seeing an increase in the population of bulldogs coming
0:12:55 > 0:12:58through the practice, I guess, we are seeing quite a few.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I do end up with quite a fair share of back-passage surgeries.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I do quite enjoy them, to be honest.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11They are quite satisfying!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Doing this surgery to make a difference.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16You know the dog is going to have a better quality of life as a result
0:13:16 > 0:13:20of it, so I think that is the draw to this kind of procedure.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Geraint has to work carefully to expose the bones in Hank's distorted tail.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I'm just sort of cutting the vertical body with a saw blade.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35It is not particularly pleasant surgery, unfortunately.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38We're going quite deep into the bottom of the spine.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46There we are. That's the offending article.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48That's the screw tail end there.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52And you can kind of see the kind of skin and muck and everything that's
0:13:52 > 0:13:56gone in there. I just can't imagine just walking around
0:13:56 > 0:13:59with something like that on the back end, you can't itch, can't scratch.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02So he is going to feel a whole lot happier now that is not on his
0:14:02 > 0:14:05rear end. So things are looking good for Hank.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06Come on, then, big man, let's go.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08One, two, three.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10There we are, good lad.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13There we are.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Hank will have an overnight stay in the hospital to give them a chance
0:14:16 > 0:14:18to recover.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Definitely more awake now, aren't you, big man? Good boy.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24- HANK GROWLS - Here we are.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Just to let you know that Hank's doing OK.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29He's just coming round from the anaesthetic.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32He has currently got a nurse sitting with them, giving him some oxygen.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So we're going to keep them in this evening now.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36We will provide him with a bit more pain relief.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And we will keep a close eye on him overnight tonight.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's TB test results day.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Can we put the bar in here, please?
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Sorry, Tom.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Here you are.
0:15:00 > 0:15:0248.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Alex has returned to measure the skin thickness of each cow that she
0:15:06 > 0:15:09injected with the TB vaccine,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12to see if there has been any change.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15It depends on what reactions they've had and the difference between them
0:15:15 > 0:15:17as to whether they have TB or not.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20This one is fine.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24It's an important day for farmer Tom,
0:15:24 > 0:15:30as the outcome will affect the future of his herd and his farm.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34We'll just wait. You never know what's going to come out, do you?
0:15:34 > 0:15:36These three should have been gone ages ago.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38What would it mean if it's a bad result?
0:15:38 > 0:15:43There might come a time when I better get rid of them all.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Again, nothing to worry about, Tom.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I always tell the farmers if I know there's nothing wrong
0:15:53 > 0:15:57when I get my callipers out, because they all have little heart palpitations
0:15:57 > 0:16:01once these are in my hand. Pushing with all his might.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03So far, so good.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07But the last animal to be tested is farmer Tom's award winner.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10This is Ferrari. The big red one.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13She's won a few prizes in her time.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16I know.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21And 45.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25It's a tense moment as Tom awaits Alex's final verdict.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28So, that's the last cow and we've had a clear test.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31That means that the second clear short-interval test.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And Tom now will have his movement restrictions lifted and he will be able
0:16:34 > 0:16:37to sell the cattle. So he'll be able to be a farmer again.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39That's very good news.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43It's like having a plaster cast taken off, I suppose.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45COW LOWS
0:17:00 > 0:17:05Back at the main hospital and it's all change for Olaf the homeless kitten.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09He has recovered from the operation on his ear.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11And there's more good news.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13- I'm going to keep him! - You ARE keeping him?
0:17:13 > 0:17:15- Yes.- Very nice.- And I'm going to call him Oberon.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Shortened to Obe.- Oberon.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19That's William Shakespeare, isn't it?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23It is indeed. A Midsummer Night's Dream. So he's going to be Obe.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Obe. It was...
0:17:24 > 0:17:26It was that one, was it?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Oh, it's looking so good, I can't tell which one it was.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33- Looks great.- The other ear looks muckier than this one.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35That looks really good, doesn't it?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Fingers crossed. That's hopefully him sorted.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Oh, yes, you're showing me your back end as well.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43We get his back end as well.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Well reminded, Obe. He's saying, don't forget this bit.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Oh, that's fine.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Yeah. The castration has healed up nicely.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- All sorted.- Brilliant.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Excellent news.- There we go, little fella.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Home time.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58He's a little bit special, is he?
0:17:58 > 0:18:03I've been doing it for ten and a half years and I've kept one of my foster kittens in that time.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04So he'll be number two.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- Oh, nice.- He is a bit special, isn't he?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10He's cute, isn't he?
0:18:10 > 0:18:11- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24The vets have six branches across south-west Wales and have prepared
0:18:24 > 0:18:27for all creatures great and small to come through their doors.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29Come on through.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35At the Neath clinic, Geraint's next appointment is with a guinea pig.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38So Custard has come in to be castrated?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Yes.- OK. No problem at all.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43What are the reasons for getting him castrated?
0:18:44 > 0:18:48He is going to be, like, with a herd, because his partner died.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52He was getting quite lonely and he is by himself. We have a big, massive cage for him.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55And we are thinking, he could do with some friends or whatever.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57I can see why he's called Custard.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04So he has got a fairly obvious pair of testicles there, hasn't he?
0:19:04 > 0:19:08He's very well-endowed.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Well, we were recommended - get him castrated
0:19:10 > 0:19:13and he can live in, like, a herd and he'll be happy for the rest of his
0:19:13 > 0:19:16days, rather than being lonely.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- So, that's what we're going to do. - With a load of women?
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- Women, of course! - HE LAUGHS
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Sounds like he's got
0:19:24 > 0:19:27it all sorted. He's got a good life ahead of him.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I'll give you a ring later when he's around from the anaesthetic.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- If we have any problems I'll give you a ring straightaway. - Great stuff.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- All right?- Thank you very much.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35No problem. See you later.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41He is going to be housed with a load of females in some kind of harem
0:19:41 > 0:19:43situation. So fair play to him.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Sounds like he's got a life of paradise, hasn't it?
0:19:52 > 0:19:57Large-animal veterinary care accounts are nearly a quarter of the practice workload.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00And there are six vets who specialise in this field.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07On call for farm animal emergencies today is vet Kevin Jones.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13We've got a horse with its leg stuck in a gate or in a fence or something.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18So we're trying to get there as soon as we can.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22In Killay, Jess the horse's owners found her trapped in
0:20:22 > 0:20:26this gate ten minutes ago and so they called the vet.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29So you managed to get her out quick, pretty much straightaway?
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It was going in that way.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35So she was this side of it?
0:20:35 > 0:20:36And she put it through.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Yeah.- She's torn all that straight from there now, hasn't she?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Gosh. Let's go and have a look.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47All right, girl. All right, all right.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Sh, sh, sh, sh.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's very, very serious.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03From where it is as well and it's quite close to so many important
0:21:03 > 0:21:07structures. And I think we might have to do an emergency referral, really,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09to one of the hospitals.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11She is insured, isn't she?
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- Yeah.- OK. I think that will be best, rather than anything else.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20If she's got any involvement of a joint or anything in there,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23then it needs to be flushed under surgical conditions, really,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26which we cannot do with her in the stable or the yard.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So we are going to have to sort of send her to a specialist practice
0:21:29 > 0:21:31for that.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Jess is no ordinary pet.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35She's a prize-winning showjumper.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37We paid a lot of money for her a year ago.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- It is more than money, though, isn't it?- Of course it is, yeah.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Well, definitely for her, yeah.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49With these things, time is the most important thing.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51If we can get them early, get them flushed early,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53start them on treatment early,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58then it's the best that we can do for them, really.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Good girl.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02She's very sore on it, isn't she?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05All right, girl. Have you got it open?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10There.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Oh, dear.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19It's been flushed as best we can, you know, here.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- As soon as possible, really. All right?- Thanks, Kev.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26All right, no worries. Good luck. Please let me know how she is getting on.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- I'll give you a call later. - Thank you.- OK, all right. Bye.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Kevin's job is done.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Jess will travel to a specialist equine centre in West Wales to have the surgical procedure.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48About a centimetre more?
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Back in Neath, Geraint is preparing Custard the guinea pig for his very delicate operation.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Guinea pigs have got a very open canal where the testicle kind of sits in.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And they can retract their testicles into the abdomen fairly easily.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09So we're making sure we tie it off fairly well before we remove the testicle.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16So, as you can see, proportionally, in terms of its size, it's quite big, a big thing to have removed.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19He's very well endowed.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Apparently testicle size is related to how promiscuous the female of the species is.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27So I think that says quite a lot about the promiscuity of the female,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32the size of that testicle. So, normally after castration,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36you still have to leave the guinea pigs apart for about five weeks
0:23:36 > 0:23:41after the surgery, just purely because they'll have some remnants of viable sperm
0:23:41 > 0:23:44in the remaining kind of structures there.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So it's something that we always make sure we tell the owners
0:23:47 > 0:23:50post-castration.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54In reception, owners Stephen and Harriet are waiting to be reunited
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- with Custard.- I don't know, it was really nerve-racking and difficult,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- the wait.- We wondered if he'd pull through or not.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01I'm glad he did.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- Here he is.- Yay.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11He's recovered pretty well. He's eaten cucumber more or less from coming round from the anaesthetic.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14So I'll just show you it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- There he is, OK?- Yeah. - There you go.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Oh, my little baby.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Good to see him, Harriet?
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Yeah.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Thank you.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Goodbye. Thank you very much.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Ten miles away in Ystradgynlais,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43and large-animal vet Kevin is responding to another emergency.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46We're going to see a goat now that apparently isn't very well.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I don't know a lot about it at the moment apart from the fact that she is a little bit off-colour,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52not herself.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54And she's got red or brown discoloured urine.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01Smallholder Sammy is seriously concerned about her eight-year-old goat, Stripey.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05It's surprising how attached you can get to a goat.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08I know.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10If we can get her up on her feet.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- One more.- There we go.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Good girl. Good girl.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18- I got you, I got you.- Is she able to stand up?
0:25:19 > 0:25:21She's very weak, isn't she?
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- Yeah.- She's showing some worrying signs.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28OK? She's pale, so she's a little bit anaemic,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30because she might be losing blood somewhere,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33so there's a possibility she could have a problem either in her
0:25:33 > 0:25:37bladder, her kidneys or her reproductive tract and she's losing some blood that way.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38And she's not a youngster.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40And she's not a youngster.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I don't want her to suffer if that's the case.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I would rather...
0:25:44 > 0:25:49I know it's a horrible thought, but if she's in pain,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I would rather put her out of her misery than to suffer.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55If you don't want to put her through anything,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58then putting her down would be the sensible option.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02And I think, really, from the signs and her age,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I think I am pretty more inclined to maybe go with that.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06- OK.- All right?
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Yeah.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11STRIPEY CRIES
0:26:11 > 0:26:17You can see how uncomfortable she is and I definitely think you are making the right decision.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19STRIPEY CRIES
0:26:37 > 0:26:40CRYING STOPS
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Oh, darling.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54She's gone.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55She went really lovely.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It was really quick.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00It's a relief, to be honest.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Yeah. Well...
0:27:04 > 0:27:06She's at peace now.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11It's better. It's a relief, really.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14It's a sad day for Sammy.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18But putting animals to sleep is an important part of a vet's job.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19Every one is hard.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23You know, when you have done it, you know that that animal was feeling
0:27:23 > 0:27:26unwell, is in a better place, definitely.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34At the main hospital, it's a big day for Hank.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35HANK YELPS
0:27:37 > 0:27:40He's been given the all-clear to go home with his foster carer.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Come on, then. Who's this?
0:27:44 > 0:27:47So he looks a little bit strange with his bald back end.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52You can see this is a bit shaved-up.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55This is the incision here, it's looking nice and clean and dry.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59It's been taken flat, so he's no longer got a tail at all, really.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02He's been fine. He's just been a little bit stressed, I think,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05being here. Good to see him?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Yeah, it's great.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08I don't think he agrees.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09No, he's not happy, is he?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I think he's sulking. You may need to bribe him when you get home.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15A little bit of cheese.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Come on, then, buddy.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Not too keen. You don't want to stay here, mate.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Nothing fun happens at the vets'.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Come on. Let's hoist him up, get going.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Come on.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Oh! Back on your feet. Well done.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32- There we go.- Good boy. Come on, then.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35Thanks very much.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It's all right, no problem.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40He wasn't too keen to go, was he?
0:28:40 > 0:28:43But I don't know why he wanted to stay - nothing fun happens here.