Episode 10 Animal 24:7

Britain's animals are under threat.

All too often, our wildlife and domestic pets are the victims of cruelty, persecution and neglect.

Fighting to save them is a dedicated band of people

trying to protect and care for them right around the clock.

This is Animal 24:7.

'Today on Animal 24:7, a horse needs help.

-There's something very wrong here.

-'And she needs it urgently.'

-She's dropping before our eyes.

'I'm with worried owners at the animal hospital where one dog didn't spit the dummy.'

What I can feel in here is quite an obvious firm mass which would fit in the history of her eating a dummy.

'And high drama.'

Oh! Don't go that way!

'A cat proves hard to catch.'

Come on, Bobby, you silly cat!

The problem of abandoned horses is a growing one in the UK.

Charities like World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA are receiving more and more calls every year

about horses and ponies left to fend for themselves.

And many of them are in desperate need of veterinary care.

'In Hertfordshire, this horse has been dumped in a field.

'The local traveller community owns the other animals here.

'They suspect the abandoned mare is not well and they've called RSPCA inspector Mel Fisher.'

From what they're saying on the call, it's lethargic

and it's got a lot of sunburn. They're worried that it might have something contagious.

They've got horses of their own in there.

'Mel is joined by Nick White from World Horse Welfare.'

Let's go and have a look.

'They spend a few minutes trying to identify the horse.'

Easy now. Easy, easy.

-The red headstall one.

-That was the first one we saw, with its head in the nettles.

But if that is the case, then it didn't look badly sunburnt at all.

Hopefully there's nothing wrong with it. Let's go and have a look.

'Nick approaches carefully, mindful that the horse might be nervous.'

All of us descending on it, means it's running round the field and getting het up.

Thankfully, Nick's managed to grab hold of the head collar.

So we'll have a look at it and see if there's anything wrong with it that needs vet treatment.

'Nick is already sure that the mare will need to see a vet.'

This looks like a sick horse to me, Mel.

-It's really lethargic.

-It's very unusual behaviour patterns.

-Got its head in the bushes like that.

-Hello, sweetie.

She wasn't easy to catch to start with.

She ran off and then almost as if she was disorientated, she ran towards me.

Now I've caught her and I've got my hands on her body, I can feel all her ribs.

I can feel her spine and her hips.

And I can also see some kind of dermatitis or possibly rain scold on the side of her shoulders.

So I have got concerns for her.

'Mel is straight on to the vets.'

It's just really quiet. I'm wondering whether anybody's available to have a look.

'They're becoming increasingly concerned about this mare, who they've called Lyla.

Now she's standing, she looks really plain.

She's not moving, she's not interested.

Although looking at her from a distance, you think there's not much wrong with her,

but up close, she's swaying on her feet. She seems really weak.

Come on, poppet.

'Vet Gonzalo Esteves arrives.'

Hi, Gonzalo. Good to see you. How are you?

'The police are here too. If Gonzalo confirms that Lyla is suffering,

'they'll need to give permission for the RSPCA to seize her.

'Gonzalo starts with some routine checks.'

-Any droppings at all for her?

-She's swaying. She's been swaying.

'And he's alarmed when he sees Lyla's foaming at the mouth.'

I need to have a good look in this mouth. There's something very wrong here.

'There's no doubt Lyla will need to be taken away for treatment.'

What's your initial impressions, in case we need to sort of think about moving her on?

-This mare can't stay here.

-Brilliant. We can start making phone calls and organise transporting.

'She's in an even worse condition than Mel and Nick had feared.'

-Her temperature's too low.

-OK.

-And I need to try to understand

the origin of this excessive salivation and foam in her mouth.

She's also extremely congested.

And her heart rate is too high. It's abnormal.

-I need to try to understand why.

-OK.

'Mel is already dreading the worst.'

Before, we were thinking she might just have a bit of liver damage,

but you can see she's dropping before our eyes.

It depends what the vet says. We might have to put her out of her misery.

She might be suffering too far gone.

I can't believe how quickly she's deteriorating. I'm hoping that's not the case,

but it's really not looking good for her at all.

-Still to come...

-There's a big foal inside.

There's more than one life hanging in the balance.

This mare is in trouble to carry on with the pregnancy in this condition.

And the cat that really should have had a better game plan.

It's named after Sir Bobby Robson. She's a Geordie.

When animals fall ill, it can be for a whole host of reasons.

And when they do, the RSPCA are often called in to help.

Their biggest veterinary hospital is here in Manchester, handling around 30,000 cases every year.

Some are routine, but others are real emergencies.

'It's a typically busy day at the centre and ailing pets fill the waiting room.

'Among the worried owners is Linda Smart, whose Rottweiler puppy

'has been limping since an accident in the park yesterday afternoon.'

-This is Axl.

-What's up with him?

He was playing on the field with his brother and they collided. I think he's broken his leg.

Even seeing him sitting there,

-he doesn't seem to be holding it naturally.

-He won't use it whatsoever. He just hops.

-Right.

It's too tender, I think, for him to even think about using it.

'So Linda has to carry poor Axl in to see vet Dave Yates.'

-Straight on to the table.

-Do you want me to hold him?

If we can do, yeah. As I lift him up, are you all right to support some of his weight?

We'll just feel around and I don't want to hurt him,

-obviously, but we've got to find out where the pain is.

-It's mainly on the curve.

-OK.

'Dave soon has a good idea what's wrong with Axl.'

Yeah. He's damaged his knee.

He's damaged what's called the tibial crest.

Because he's a growing dog, he's got what's called a growth plate,

a sensitive bit of the bone there.

This one on the left back leg is nice and tight and there's no swelling.

On the affected leg, this tendon is quite floppy.

-You can see the swelling as well.

-Yeah.

What we'll do is we'll sedate him and take some X-rays.

'Dave thinks Axl's leg is broken.

'The X-rays will confirm the seriousness of the break.'

-You seem a bit worried about leaving him for his sedation.

-I know.

I've never left him since he were a pup.

It'll be the first time.

'But Linda knows that to get Axl back to his best, they've got to get the diagnosis right.'

Well done!

Well done!

'Axl is given a sedative and is soon out for the count.'

-We'll see you in a bit then. Cheers.

-Thank you.

'As Linda waits anxiously, he's rushed through for his X-ray.

'But before long, the results are in.

'And unfortunately, it's not a straightforward break.'

This X-ray shows your dog's knee, side on.

This is the affected leg and we can see this flap of bone has been lifted.

That's where the fracture's happened.

What does that mean for Axl and for Linda?

This is a bit of a problem. You've got a large breed of dog there.

And it's a young dog. It's still going to grow. Its joints are going to carry a lot of weight.

I think you're probably best getting an opinion off a specialist to see what they can do.

'This is not the simple diagnosis Linda was hoping for, and a specialist could be expensive.'

-I think you're looking at something in the region of £1,000 to £1,500 for surgery, possibly.

-Right.

But over the lifetime of a dog, preventing it getting arthritis, it's a worthwhile investment.

What do you think about that?

I was hoping they'd be able to do something, but it's going to have to be done, isn't it?

-It's a fairly large sum.

-It is.

How difficult is that going to be to find?

I'll probably have to ask my friends.

'It's a lot of money, but without specialist care,

'Axl could have lifelong problems.

'Linda is determined to get him fixed. This broken Axl should soon be on the road to recovery.

'Elsewhere in the hospital,

'11-month-old Tia is being prepped for possible surgery.

'Owners Leanne James and daughter Ellie suspect that she's swallowed the teat from a baby's dummy.'

I'm scared. The lady at the desk said they'll probably keep her in to operate, if it is stuck.

I just hope it's something simple and not too complicated.

'Tia's been vomiting and has now stopped eating.

'Senior clinician Rachel Watkinson looks for evidence of anything lodged in her gut.'

I'm just having a feel to see if I can feel any abnormalities within the intestine,

especially looking for any lumps and bumps, and what I'm feeling here at the moment

is quite an obvious localised firm mass, likely within the intestine,

which would fit right in with the history of her eating a dummy.

I think that's what I'm feeling there.

'The owner's suspicions appear well founded and they've done well to bring Tia in so quickly.'

If she was left untreated, the teat would obstruct the bowel

and it causes damage to the blood supply,

so the bowel can actually die off, rupture and cause peritonitis.

'Rachel decides to act right away and the team prepares to operate.

'With anaesthetic, there's always a risk to the animal, so they're keen to move quickly.'

We're just dissecting straight into the abdomen here.

We've got to go through the skin layer first

and there's a little bit of fat on her.

Not much, she's quite lean.

'It's a messy job, but Rachel needs to get to the cause of Tia's trouble.'

There's a bit of spleen in the way there.

I'm going to have a feel with my finger, just to see if I can locate the foreign body.

There it is.

'This unsightly bulge in the bowel is a bit of a giveaway.

'By carefully cutting it open,

'Rachel is finally able to remove the troublesome teat.'

It's all come out in one piece, nice and easily. So that's good.

We just need to close the bowel back up now where we've made the incision.

'The operation itself has been a success,

'but Tia is not out of the woods yet.'

The next 48 to 72 hours will be quite critical

to see how well she does, following the surgery.

She'll need to stay in for at least 48 hours.

'As Tia's left to come round, her owners will have to keep their fingers crossed

'that she's able to make a full recovery.'

'Still to come, I oversee some not so demanding dentistry.'

-Oh! I can't believe how easily that came out.

-Hmm, yeah.

'And vets face up to the most difficult decision with Lyla the horse.'

I'm worried that she doesn't appear to have any sight. That's not great news for her.

The RSPCA respond to around 2,500 calls every week,

but some emergencies are just too tricky for their officers to deal with.

When that happens, it's important they can call for back-up.

'In York, Monty the cat is missing his brother.

'Bobby has not been seen since leaving home two days ago.

'But last night, he was finally found at the bottom of the garden.

'Unfortunately, at the top of a tree.

'Bobby's sense of adventure has landed him in a tight spot,

'stuck some 30ft off the ground.

'RSPCA trainee inspector Keira Wyn arrives to see

'if she can coax him down and reunite the separated siblings.'

-Are you aware of where this cat is?

-Yeah.

-Can you show us where?

-Yeah.

Fantastic. Cheers.

'Helen Turner is a friend of Bobby's owner, and she's offered to join the rescue mission.'

Where is he?

-Oh, you silly cat!

-I know.

-He's not moved from that spot for ages.

-Right, OK.

So he's got himself up there for whatever reason, then can't get down.

It's probably cos it was so sunny, he was having a nice time and then realised...

-Chasing birds.

-..actually, I'm really hungry.

-You're not a cat!

Attempts to bribe him down have failed and, with a beck at the base of the tree,

Kira doesn't fancy her chances of reaching Bobby without some help.

Bobby has probably been without food or water for two days,

so it's an emergency that Kira can't tackle alone.

It's going to be a fire brigade job, I think.

I know, it's so difficult to...

I'll give them a bell, anyway, and we'll go from there, I think.

It's Kira from the RSPCA.

I've got a cat that's stuck up a rather precarious-looking tree.

It's a good 20-30 foot.

BOBBY MEWS

Bobby.

It's been there since Saturday.

The fire service won't help unless a cat's been stuck for more than 24 hours.

You naughty cat!

As Bobby spent the whole weekend up here, they will go out on a limb.

They're on their way.

Cats were born to climb, but unfortunately they weren't born

very well to come back down again - especially if it's a vertical drop.

They're not happy about going forwards. They would rather take it down nicely

and calmly rather than it falling out of the tree.

Before long, the cavalry arrives.

Their mission is to reach the stranded, weakened cat before he falls from his perch.

-You see it?

-Oh, yeah. What's his name?

-Bobby.

-Bobby.

-It's named after Sir Bobby Robson. She's a Geordie.

-Oh, right!

After working out their tactics and formation,

the crew prepares to make a grab for Bobby.

-Hi, sweetie.

-It sounds a simple task...

-Here, Bobby

-...but as the fireman edges forward...

-It's all right.

-Oh, Bob! Come on, then!

..Bobby seems in no mood to be rescued.

Just give him a chance to think about it first.

I think he's a bit frightened of everything that's going on.

He's just sort of letting us know he's a bit worried.

But hopefully, once he acclimatises to the fact that somebody's there,

he should reach out and come down to us. Fingers crossed.

Bobby! CLICKS TONGUE

Come on, sweet pea.

But just as the fireman gets within touching distance...

Ooh, no, don't do that. Oh, don't go that way.

..Bobby decides he's had enough, and makes his move.

-Oh, don't go that way.

-Frightened Bobby has scrambled out of reach...

-Oh, Bobby!

-Come on, Bobby, you silly cat!

..and into greater danger.

-In the thinner branches, it looks like he's struggling.

-Bobby!

Thankfully, Bobby just manages to regain his balance.

He's gone into the part of the tree that's too far away

from the firefighter, so...

we're just sort of a cat-and-mouse game at the moment, pardon the pun!

It's time for a rethink.

The new plan is to bring the whole branch down with Bobby in it!

If we can bring him down to our level,

either he'll jump to the floor or come to us, so fingers crossed.

It's time to bring out the power tools.

And with this heavy-duty kit,

the crew should make short work of the branch.

Despite the racket, Bobby holds his nerve and this time stays put.

That's it.

The crew begin to lower the branch,

careful not to spill the precious cargo...

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Let him settle himself. Right, go.

..until, finally, poor Bobby is just about in Kira's reach.

Just grab his neck now, grab his neck.

I've got him.

I've got him.

BOBBY MEWS

-Oh, sweetie pie!

-Bobby sounds relieved to be back down to earth.

All right, darling. All right.

But after a whole weekend clinging on for dear life,

he's hard to prise away from his perch.

Let go, Bobby.

Eventually...

We got him!

..thanks to Kira and the crew, Bobby is finally back on terra firma.

-Thanks very much.

-Ohh!

-Mr Man! Silly boy.

-You naughty boy!

-At least he's down now.

-Well done. Thank you.

Thank you very much, guys. Fantastic.

With the job done,

Kira gets Bobby back for a reunion with his sensible sibling.

Come on, Bobby, let's get you in, love.

Now then, Monty, look who we found. Eh?

Who's this, then? Oh!

Oh, here he is, look. Let's have just a general check.

Checking for any scuffs or bumps.

He says, "Actually, I'm fine, I just want to get out."

Despite everything he's been through,

Bobby has come away pretty much unscathed.

I'm really pleased with that outcome.

I did think at one point we weren't going to do well,

especially when he jumped from one side of the tree to the other,

but I think the idea of chopping the tree down worked,

cos it kept him stable and he came down without too much trauma,

so really pleased that he's unscathed

and he's back home, where he belongs, with his brother.

Little Monty over there. So, fingers crossed, he won't do it again.

Still to come, Tia's no dummy, but can she go home?

Oh, yeah, we've all missed her. Kids have missed her a lot.

They're waiting at home now to get her.

Now, back to the story of Lila,

the mare who's been abandoned in Hertfordshire.

A vet has confirmed that she is very ill.

And now it's a question of what's actually wrong with her

and what are the chances of her making a full recovery.

Lila has been dumped in this field...

..found by local travellers who keep their own horses here.

RSPCA inspector Mel Fisher has discovered that Lila's

not only unwanted but unwell.

She's really rocking backwards and forwards. The vet's not happy at all.

She's hypothermic, she's got a rapid pulse, she's foaming at the mouth.

For her to deteriorate this quickly, it's not looking good at all.

The vet examining Lila is Gonzalo Estevez.

He's just realised that there's more than one life hanging in the balance.

She's pregnant.

There's a big foal inside.

This foal is surely over seven months of pregnancy...

..and is alive.

But this isn't necessarily good news.

This mare is in trouble to carry on with the pregnancy in this condition.

And, although Lila's pregnant,

it appears she's not been enjoying the easy life.

This mare also has extensive marks inside her stifles.

It's relatively fresh.

And here, as well, which are usually caused by pulling carts.

This is a common injury.

It seems somebody has worked Lila until she could work no more.

They're quite recent.

There's fluid under the skin, those abrasions are very extensive.

The udder is already starting to grow and to develop some...possibly wax

as you see on the tip of the teat,

-which means that foaling date is approaching.

-Yes.

So we need to be a bit careful with this mare.

And, although the foal could be due soon, Gonzalo's not optimistic.

I think it's very likely she would lose the foal,

even if she gave birth, she's not in the condition to raise or feed it.

There's no time to waste.

This mare needs to be taken off the field immediately.

With the vet's strong recommendation,

the police can give the RSPCA permission to seize the horse.

It's a case of you doing the formal process of taking her into possession

under the Animal Welfare Act, doing a quick statement

-saying that.

-Absolutely no problem.

Before Lila's journey, Gonzalo takes some blood samples.

He also gives her painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

Hello, sweetie.

Then, Nick White from the charity World Horse Welfare ID-tags her

with Mel's initials...

..before making sure she's fed and watered.

She has to have a drink and she has to have something to eat

to sustain her, so she doesn't collapse on the journey.

Now it's time for Lila to make that journey.

Come on, good girl.

Gently does it. Come on.

Come on, then.

Her condition means the long trip to World Horse Welfare stables

in Norfolk is out of the question.

Instead, she's taken to the Royal Veterinary College in nearby Potters Bar.

Here, Lila will receive the round-the-clock care

that she and her unborn foal desperately need.

Her poor coordination and swaying immediately concerns vet Andy Fisk.

He suspects it might be down to a problem with her eyesight.

It may well be that signs we're seeing are a product of her not being able to see when she places a limb.

If you walk and couldn't see, you'd be a bit sort of feeling your way.

Andy tests her menace reflex, which confirms his fears.

I'm just going as if I'm going to poke her

and, normally, anyone else, you just blink.

And she's not, which can happen if they're incredibly depressed,

but normally they will blink.

I'm worried by the fact she doesn't appear to have any sight.

If that's a permanent effect, then that's not great news for her.

She's a young horse, you know.

This can be a temporary affliction,

so we'll give her the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

Especially given that there's a lot of questions still unanswered.

But as the blood results come in, the picture becomes clearer.

Our first concerns are she's got

neurological signs associated with liver damage.

The first line of treatment with that will be to give her fluids as well,

make her feel a bit better.

And then we'll have a closer look at some other parameters

before we decide on further treatment.

An ultrasound scan confirms Andy's concerns about Lila's liver.

The liver looks small to me, which is not a good thing.

It also gives him a chance to look at the foal.

This is the heartbeat just here, of the foal.

For it to survive,

Lila needs to start showing signs of improvement - and quickly.

The next 24-48 hours will be critical.

Over the next 24 hours, we'll get a lot of information about

whether it's something that it's going to leave her with

enough liver function to be able to recover from

and be able to lead a normal life after that.

So long as the mare recovers and doesn't continue to go downhill,

I suspect the foal - I hope the foal will be OK,

but we'll have to reverse the trend with her,

which will be the first challenge.

The big concern is that the pregnancy is affecting Lila's chances of survival.

It's quite a drain on her,

so it makes it doubly hard to bring her back.

Even if she didn't have the foal,

it would still be a very challenging case to bring her round.

Still to come, why did the RSPCA inspector cross the road?

There's a bit of light relief for Mel.

Oi! Oh, that was so close!

Now we're heading back to the RSPCA hospital in Manchester where,

earlier, I witnessed a typically busy day.

For many of the owners in the waiting room,

it's a particularly worrying time,

as a pet is often part of the family.

As always, it's busy and bustling at the hospital.

Ernie Gilbert has brought in his Yorkshire terrier, Jude,

who's got a problem with her teeth, and has stopped eating.

Gilbert with Jude.

As vet Dave Yates begins his examination,

he sees that Jude doesn't have many teeth left!

-I put my finger in this morning and she bit me.

-Did she?

-Yeah.

I don't think she can do much damage with about three or four teeth.

-No, no.

-She's got a tooth at the back with a lot of tarter on it.

-Oh, right.

-Let me listen to her chest. How old is she now?

She's 12, I'd say. Don't know her exact age - she was a stray.

Jude's also got thick cataracts and doesn't seem too steady on her feet.

In common with a lot of Yorkies,

she's got a problem with the kneecaps.

They're slipping out of place,

so she's got arthritis in both her back legs.

-Join the clan!

-Yeah!

So she's a geriatric with a lot of age-related problems.

But the most pressing problem is her teeth,

which may have stopped Jude from eating.

Records show she's lost a lot of weight since her last visit.

2.3.

For Dave to have a closer look at them, he'll need to sedate her.

But with Jude's long list of ailments,

he's concerned that there's a bigger issue to address.

When owners bring older animals in, each time we knock them out and try

and get them to think about what kind of quality of life the dog's having.

You know, is your dog enjoying the day when it gets up?

-Is it eating and playful and interacting?

-Oh, yes.

-Or is it sleeping all the time?

-Doesn't sleep all the time.

In the course of eight hours, she'll probably have

about three hour's sleep in that eight-hour period.

-Right.

-And she'll sleep right through the night

until about 6.00 or 6.30 in the morning.

Ernie is adamant that Jude has a good quality of life

and isn't ready to part with her,

so Dave will concentrate on relieving her symptoms.

We'll sedate her and we'll see what we can find and gently scrape

some of the tartar off and hopefully make her more comfortable.

As Dave prepares the sedative, Ernie tries to comfort his old friend.

We'll get you sorted out, eh, Jude?

-Hopefully.

-Hopefully, yeah.

I think Dave's being as sensitive as he could,

but there was a serious question behind all that, wasn't there?

Yeah, there was.

But the wife doesn't want to part with her at all.

Well, I don't meself basically.

If we can help her along the way for another couple of months, it's fine.

Ernie's mind is clearly made up, so Dave moves on with sedating Jude.

All right, all right.

Under closer inspection, it appears Jude doesn't just have bad teeth.

Her whole jaw is affected, causing them to come loose.

Can you see how it's moving?

Just behind her gum there, but the other two actually won't close.

-It bangs into it.

-Yeah, yeah.

-But if you look here.

-Oh, yes. Yeah.

-So there's a problem with the lower jaw.

She'll be in considerable pain then, won't she?

But she doesn't let you know it.

-We need to be quite careful about this.

-Yeah.

I was hoping to just scale her tooth.

You know, to scale some of the tartar off the teeth there,

-but this is quite advanced.

-Is it?

The problem teeth are beyond saving, so they have to be removed.

Oh! I can't believe how easily they came out.

-Just falling out, aren't they?

-Yeah.

Dave barely has to pull, as tooth after tooth just slides out.

Now that we've taken out

the tooth that was problematic, not on this side but on the other,

we can see that the jaw will open and close

Small dogs can fare surprisingly well with only a few teeth,

so for the time being, Jude should be happier.

Dave will want to see Jude regularly in case she deteriorates, but she should

be eating again within 24 hours

and Ernie is clearly delighted.

Coming round now, Jude? Yeah? Good girl!

It was a tough session for Dave,

who knows how hard these decisions are for an owner.

The decision to put a dog down,

I guess in the end it's never going to be mathematic.

You're never going to be able to say there's this weight of suffering

on his side and this weight of life expectation on the other.

-It's always subjective.

-Yeah, it's a highly subjective decision.

You know, he loves his dog. He clearly loves his dog.

He wants to hold on to it for as long as he can.

We've just got to make sure that we're acting on the dog's behalf

and that we're preserving a reasonable quality of life

and preventing unnecessary pain and discomfort.

One pet who should live for a long time yet is Shih Tzu cross Tia.

Rachel Watkinson has successfully removed the teat

of a dummy from inside her.

It's all come out in one piece nice and easily,

so that's good.

We just need to close the bowel back up now where we've made the incision.

Leanne James and her daughter Ellie

are hoping she's made a full recovery.

We've all missed her. The kids have missed her a lot.

So they're waiting at home now for me to get her, take her home.

Rachel is checking that Tia is good to go.

She's nice and relaxed there. Everything feels fine.

-And she's pleased with her recovery.

-So Tia's been quite lucky in a way.

Lucky that she's got a diligent owner that picked up the problem

fairly quickly, so that she's been able to have the surgery

nice and promptly and we've not seen any complications

at this stage as a result of her blockage.

So yes, she's a lucky girl.

So Tia can be reunited with her family.

-And vet Sergey Guzdev has a bit of advice.

-Hello again.

-Hello.

-Here is Tia.

-Hello!

-Bright and healthy.

She's eating, drinking all right.

Maybe next time, just make sure,

if you've got kids, make sure you keep away

especially socks, tiny things they usually like to chew.

Dummies, small toys and everything.

But it's quite a good prognosis and she should be fine.

Thanks to Leanne's quick thinking

and the staff here at the hospital, Tia can now go home

where hopefully she'll be a bit more picky about what she eats.

Now we're on our way to Hertfordshire, and the story

of Lyla, the pregnant mare who was abandoned in a terrible condition.

Under police escort,

RSPCA inspector Mel Fisher took her to the Royal Veterinary College

in Potter's Bar, where she was fighting for her life.

Lyla was found in a field -

unwanted, unwell and pregnant.

There's a big foal inside and he's alive.

The vet Gonzalo Estevez suspected

that despite her condition, she'd been overworked.

This mare also has extensive marks inside her stifles,

which are usually caused by pulling carts.

At the Royal Veterinary College,

the damage caused by this cruelty and neglect became clear.

Our first concerns are she's got neurological signs

associated with liver damage.

I'm worried she doesn't appear to have any sight.

Lyla and her unborn foal didn't survive.

Unfortunately, she was extremely weak, extremely ill

and the liver test results came back

to say that she had chronic liver failure.

It was thought that the best decision was to unfortunately

put her to sleep on humane grounds, which is a real shame.

You just never get used to it.

Everybody involved was extremely upset.

But we all knew it was the only decision that was fair to Lyla.

Thankfully for Mel, some jobs aren't a matter of life and death.

I've just had a call to go and collect a stray cockerel.

It could prove quite difficult. If there's nothing wrong with it,

then I'm guessing it's not really going to want me coming along

and trying to catch it. So this could be quite entertaining.

The cockerel call came from Courtney Perlmutter

and her friend, Sophie Alderton.

Courtney spotted him outside her house in St Albans.

I looked out the window and I saw this chicken.

I couldn't believe my eyes! It's so weird, just this chicken.

And although the cockerel crossing the road sounds like the start

of a joke, he does need to be caught for his own good.

-He's been here well over a week now.

-Yeah.

-And he hasn't eaten for the whole time he's been here.

-No.

-He's so skinny.

-He's been pecking at the leaves.

It's not a very nice diet, I don't think, for a chicken.

-Hello!

-BOTH: Hiya.

How are you? I believe you've got a chicken?

Our chicken is in the tree.

-We put some food down and he'll just come down.

-OK, right.

-But he's just gone up.

-Lovely, I'll go and get my net.

It's fair to say, Mel isn't feeling overly game for this challenge.

What to do?

It's in a tree and I've got a net that loves being

caught on tree branches, so I'll see how that works.

It just depends how mobile the chicken is

and how fast I can possibly run.

So wish me luck!

Plan A - smooth talking.

Hello, chicken!

Come on, then. Don't go too high!

COCKEREL CLUCKS

Come on, then!

And she's off to a flyer.

Aha! We're on the floor.

But it's a bit too soon to be cocky.

She's managed to find all the nice bushes to hide in.

-Time for the chicken run.

-Come on, then.

Ah!

Look at the cat watching!

The nosey cat would probably find this an easier chase.

She's coming, she's coming, she's there!

Oi! Ah, that was so close!

So many near misses.

Plan B - new tackle for the bush trial.

It's obviously highly mobile.

So I've got a huge walk-towards net, which we use to catch deer.

Sorry, I'm just getting rid of brambles.

So I'll string that along the hedge

Courtney's mum and a neighbour have now joined in the fun.

If we can run it along so it basically hems the bird in.

Right.

Er, anyone for tennis?

I'll go in and make a nuisance, and you close up the hole behind me.

Hopefully she'll come out.

-Are we all ready?

-ALL: Yeah.

-It's coming out.

-Quick!

-Have we got it?

Game, set and match to Mel and the girls.

Brilliant! Well done, you!

Do you want a job?

Well done, everybody.

Definitely a joint job there, I think.

Couldn't have done it without you.

As an exhausted Mel already suspected,

the cockerel seems in good shape.

You don't seem to have any injuries, do you?

Which is good news.

All he needs is a new home and a hearty meal.

Mel takes him to a small farm, owned by Brenda Sheriff.

After you.

The RSPCA often use it when they find stray animals.

Right then. Welcome to your new home!

The cockerel might find that outrunning his new flatmate

isn't as easy as giving Mel the slip.

He's got a new friend, a rabbit, for the next week or so.

This is just while he acclimatises before joining the other birds.

Smashing! Looks like he might be here to stay.

-He'll join the rest of them, won't he?

-Yeah.

He'll have a happy retirement.

And although this cockerel didn't exactly come quietly,

he's already making himself at home.

He couldn't have stayed where he was.

He was in the middle of a residential address,

there's a busy train line behind it

and there's tons of foxes round here.

At least here, he's safe and secure,

and if no-one comes forward, then he'll just stay here

and live out the rest of his days with the rest of the flock.

If you think you know of a case of wildlife crime

or a creature that needs immediate protection,

remember there are dedicated professionals out there

who will answer your call right around the clock.

They are the people we meet on Animal 24:7.

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