Fern Britton Inside the Vets Season 1 Episode 3

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Transcript

00:00So there I was, belly shaved.

00:02Yeah, been there. Undignified, isn't it?

00:04I know exactly what you mean.

00:06Right, well, until next time. Smell you later.

00:10Bye.

00:11Fern Britton Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

00:16Here she is. A puppy with the best haircut in town.

00:21Just make sure you're not swollen under there.

00:24Known as a nation of animal lovers,

00:26the UK is home to 36 million household pets,

00:3112.5 million cats, 13.5 million dogs,

00:35and, not to mention all the other creatures, great and small,

00:39that we welcome into our families.

00:41And in this new series, we'll be finding out what happens

00:44when our fur-legged friends are in need.

00:48I'll meet their devoted owners

00:51and the expert staff who treat them.

00:53From the routine...

00:54Emergency Ward 10, I'm your girl.

00:59..to the life-saving and everything else in between.

01:04Oh, thank you very much.

01:07..we'll capture the intense bond between owners...

01:10You're doing good, Baba.

01:11Doing really good.

01:12..well done.

01:13..animals and the vets.

01:17And I step outside the clinic

01:19to see how complementary therapies go hand-in-hand

01:22with veterinary medicine.

01:24It's a big commitment for you, Emily,

01:27to spend this much time on him.

01:30Yeah, he's worth it, though.

01:32That was the right answer.

01:35So, join me, Fern Britton,

01:37on a rollercoaster of emotions inside the vets.

01:41In the south-west, not far from Bristol city centre,

01:59is the residential suburb of Henleys.

02:02It's here that husband and wife team Andy and Amy Valencia

02:09run their veterinary clinic.

02:12He's at the age where his weight will start to plateau a little bit.

02:15Yeah.

02:16Helping local pets and their owners

02:18have a healthy and happy life.

02:21Dr James Greenwood, veterinary surgeon,

02:24also practises here.

02:26Good girl.

02:28Very brave.

02:30Together, the team have kindly invited me into their world,

02:34where I'll be assisting them with the extraordinary care

02:37that they give to their patients

02:38and their owners.

02:41Oh, bless you.

02:43She's doing great.

02:43As a nation of pet lovers,

02:51we rely heavily on the 35,000 veterinary surgeons

02:55across the country

02:56who dedicate their lives to our animals.

03:00You're OK.

03:02Some of the most common issues facing pets

03:05are arthritis, ear infections, gum disease,

03:09and Boston Terrier dogs in particular

03:11are prone to eye problems.

03:14Like our first patient, Mara,

03:16who's here to see Vets James.

03:22Mara, she seems such a lovely little girl.

03:25How old is she now?

03:26So she's nearly nine years old.

03:27She's actually a rescue,

03:28so the current owners,

03:30they love her with all their hearts.

03:31She's turned up with a little bag of biscuits for us,

03:34which is very kind,

03:34but she's come with her own little crochet blanket.

03:37Oh.

03:37She's in very, very good hands at home.

03:39You're a special lady, Mara.

03:41Really landed on the feet.

03:42You're a special lady.

03:44Oh, thank you very much.

03:48She's thinking,

03:49where's my biscuits and where's my crochet blanket?

03:51That's what she's thinking.

03:53She came in to see us a couple of weeks ago

03:55with a sore eye.

03:56We did a check of the eye,

03:57made sure there was nothing structurally

03:59that was the matter with it,

04:00but what we found was an ulcer

04:02on the surface of the eye.

04:03Ulcers in dogs are really, really painful,

04:06and they can, unfortunately, be quite tricky to treat.

04:08So we always start with using some eyedrops, obviously,

04:12some lubricants, some antibiotics to try and get on top of it.

04:14But unfortunately, with Mara,

04:16those drops, those first drops,

04:18haven't quite got on top of the ulcer,

04:19so it is still there.

04:21So the top layer of the eye

04:23isn't sticking down to the eyeball

04:24as we'd expect it to.

04:26This is the drop staining, I guess, is it?

04:28That's right.

04:29Yeah, so that's from last week

04:30where we put some stain into there.

04:32So the eyes are generally slightly bulbous

04:35on this sort of terrier.

04:36Does that lend itself to these sort of complications

04:38with eyes and nose?

04:40So sadly, yes, it does.

04:42Yeah, so these breeds,

04:43they are obviously unbelievably cute,

04:46and often their personalities are very gentle.

04:48But sadly, because of the shape of the face,

04:51which is after human breeding over many, many years,

04:54they are now suffering with quite a few

04:56health conditions themselves.

04:57They have these big, bulgy eyes, like you say.

05:00That means that the eyelids

05:01don't always properly close over the eyes,

05:03and that can predispose them to these types of ulcers.

05:06So first thing I need to do

05:08is put some stain into the eye

05:10so that we can see where the ulcer is.

05:11But that stain can sometimes go all over the place.

05:15So I am going to suggest with your lovely cream jumper

05:17that we might pop an apron on if you're happy to.

05:20Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

05:21No worries at all.

05:22I'll be back. Hang on.

05:23Oh, lovely.

05:25Right, you ready for this, darling?

05:26Here we go.

05:28Good. Right, I don't feel quite so responsible now.

05:31This doesn't hurt, this drop, at all,

05:33but she has had two weeks of drops

05:35going into quite a sore eye,

05:36so she is a little bit sort of primed

05:38and maybe a bit nervous about having drops put in.

05:40So what we'll do, we'll go nice and steady.

05:41If you can just have a really good hold over her shoulders.

05:43Does that look like I've got a bit of a...

05:44That looks great.

05:45OK.

05:45That looks great.

05:46It's not going to hurt.

05:47It just is a shock.

05:48Not going to hurt.

05:48These are the bits where you worry

05:50because you don't want them to be hurt.

05:51Have you done it?

05:52Done.

05:52There.

05:53Well done, darling.

05:54And now you'll be able to see better in there, will you?

05:57Yeah.

05:57Can you see that big green splodge on the surface of her eye?

06:00Yes.

06:01So that is the actual ulcer itself.

06:03Oh, it's big.

06:04Yeah.

06:05And you can almost see around the edge of the ulcer,

06:08there's kind of almost like a wall,

06:11and that's what we call underrunning.

06:13So the edge of the ulcer has now sort of

06:15almost got a little bit of cornea that's underrun,

06:18so it's never going to be able to heal

06:20from the outside in on its own

06:22unless we kind of peel that back a little bit first.

06:25OK.

06:25So that's the job for today.

06:27Gosh, that takes a lot of precision.

06:29It's going to take a lot of precision,

06:31so we have to peel that ulcer right back

06:32to the healthy tissue underneath

06:34for that tissue to then be able to move forward and heal.

06:37You've done very well there, girl.

06:39You've got a bit further to go,

06:41but we're on the right road.

06:43Going in the right direction.

06:45Absolutely.

06:46Oh, my.

06:47Now I'm in love with her.

06:49Oh!

06:51She is lovely.

06:56Almost one in two households have a furry,

07:00scaly or feathered friend,

07:01with 95% of owners considering them part of the family.

07:07And the most popular dog breed amongst families

07:10is the Labrador.

07:11They come in all shapes and sizes

07:13and they're known for their big appetites.

07:17But this young Labrador is off his food,

07:20a clear sign to his owner, Guy,

07:22that all is not well.

07:25How have we got Rusty?

07:27Hi, James.

07:27How are you doing?

07:28Nice to see you.

07:29You too.

07:30Come on in.

07:31Let's have a little look.

07:33Hello, Rusty.

07:35Hello, darling.

07:36Despite his perky appearance,

07:40Rusty has recently been diagnosed with Addison's,

07:44a rare disease caused by insufficient levels of hormones

07:47made by the adrenal glands.

07:50He's very handsome.

07:52And he's young.

07:53He's only just over two.

07:55Unlike humans, our pets can't tell us what's wrong,

07:59so there's a lot of investigation work that vets need to do

08:03so that they can get to the root of the problem.

08:06I think what will be quite good today is,

08:08let's just check him over first.

08:09Sure.

08:09We'll just have a good check.

08:11We've weighed him outside.

08:12He's 27 kilos,

08:13so he has lost quite a significant amount of weight there as well.

08:16So in the last, what's that, five or six days,

08:18he's lost about three kilograms.

08:20What is it ringing bells in your head?

08:23Well, so we know that he's got Addison's disease.

08:26I'm still convinced that that's the ultimate diagnosis

08:29of what we're trying to...

08:30And this is an autoimmune thing.

08:32Yeah, of his glands,

08:33so he's not producing enough steroids.

08:36A healthy dog, when they're faced with stress,

08:38will produce two types of hormones.

08:40That helps the body to kind of cope with the stress

08:43and it helps to regulate all the different body systems.

08:45That could be a trip to kennels,

08:46it could be going on holiday.

08:48In Rusty's case,

08:48it was actually his owner's moving house.

08:50With Addison's disease, though,

08:51the body can't produce those types of hormones.

08:54So actually, when they're faced with stress,

08:56the body goes into crisis

08:58and that's when we get the clinical signs of Addison's

09:00like we've seen with Rusty.

09:02Is he eating at all at home?

09:04Very little, like sort of morsels, to be honest with you.

09:06Okay.

09:07Drinking and weeing, is he drinking?

09:08Yeah, we're making sure we're getting the water into him.

09:10He's drinking pretty well.

09:11Not like, I would say, again,

09:13how I'd like him to be, really.

09:15That hasn't gone up, though.

09:16He's not drinking more than you'd expect.

09:18No, no, no, no.

09:19Okay.

09:19And what's coming out the back end?

09:21I did take a little picture for you of something that came out,

09:24if you would like to see it.

09:25Well, do you know what?

09:26I would actually quite like to see that, weirdly.

09:28I would love to.

09:29Let's have a look.

09:29Oh, right.

09:30Okay.

09:32Oh.

09:32So that's...

09:33Wet.

09:34That's very wet, yeah.

09:35Black and unpleasant.

09:37Yeah, that doesn't look great.

09:38The question is whether the treatment we've given him is sufficient,

09:42or whether we've almost got some side effects of some of the medications,

09:45which could then cause gastric ulceration.

09:48It could cause a bit of internal bleeding,

09:49in terms of into the stomach, into the intestines.

09:52But more importantly, I'm just worried that he's not eating.

09:54To rule out any other issues, James needs to do a full once-over.

10:01Oh, look out.

10:01Rusty.

10:02This is a bit of a treat for you, darling.

10:04Maybe take care of head end, and I'll sort out what's happening back here.

10:07Okay, no worries.

10:09A dog's temperature is naturally higher than humans'.

10:13A healthy range is between 38 to 39.2 degrees.

10:17His temperature is 39.2, which is perhaps a little higher than we would otherwise expect.

10:25Right.

10:25Would that be a sign of infection with the...

10:27It could be.

10:28...temperature going up?

10:29What I'd like to do today, if you're happy, would be to repeat his blood test,

10:33and then I think it would be a good idea to get him on a drip.

10:35I think he is still a bit dehydrated, especially what's coming out the back end.

10:38Yeah.

10:39So I think if we just give him another maybe day or two on fluids,

10:42that might just give him that last bit of boost

10:44before he actually manages to sort of correct himself a little bit further from that.

10:47Fantastic. Okay.

10:49Good. Right. Let's get that sorted out.

10:57Dehydration in dogs is potentially life-threatening.

11:01Shall we go this leg?

11:04So Rusty will now go on a drip for an hour

11:07and be closely monitored by James and the team.

11:10That's it. Don't look rusty.

11:14Ah, stung by a bee.

11:21Don't judge me.

11:22It'll probably happen again.

11:24Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

11:29Uh-oh. Vet bills?

11:31Don't worry, Dad.

11:32I'll eat them.

11:34See you later.

11:34Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

11:37Good girl.

11:49Top lady, aren't you?

11:53Boston Terrier Mara is now sedated,

11:56ready for James to perform special eye surgery

11:58known as Diamond Burr Debridement.

12:01He'll be assisted by veterinary nurse Ella

12:04and cheered on by me.

12:08Fern, do you want to come around and have a look on this side?

12:10I'm just going to grab my skull.

12:12Because what we can see, what I was trying to show you...

12:14Oh, yes, I can see it.

12:16Can you just see there's almost the indentation into the eye there?

12:20Yep, I can see that.

12:22So, the first job is to basically sterilise the eye.

12:26What we do is make up a dilute solution of iodine and then...

12:30Well, that would sting if you were awake, wouldn't it?

12:32Exactly.

12:34So this is before you make any kind of opening in the eye

12:39to make sure that no infection on the outside can get on the inside.

12:42Is that right?

12:43Exactly, exactly.

12:44Yeah, yeah.

12:46Some people at home will be thinking,

12:47oh, I wouldn't put my doggie through that.

12:49The difficulty is that if we didn't do this,

12:51then unfortunately the ulcer will only get deeper and deeper and deeper

12:54and that can then risk the eye rupturing

12:57and then you could potentially lose the eye altogether.

12:59OK.

13:01Right, I'm pretty happy with that.

13:03With the first stage complete, we can move into theatre.

13:07OK, right, let's go through.

13:09Come on, Mara.

13:10Here we go, little one.

13:10We're not required to mask up for this procedure.

13:14Masks are, however, recommended for anything more than a skin incision

13:18in order to avoid infection.

13:21Right, so the first job is to debride with a cotton bud.

13:26This bit is just about peeling back that top layer.

13:29So the dryness of the cotton wool at the tip of the cotton bud

13:37just helps to peel away.

13:39OK.

13:40Without doing this, it's never going to heal, basically.

13:43Ah.

13:43So we just keep debriding back and back and back.

13:46Just abrasive enough.

13:48Exactly.

13:48OK.

13:49Oh, makes me feel a bit wobbly.

13:52Yeah, it's quite intense, isn't it?

13:53When you see a trouble is I sort of just, I go into vet mode

13:57so I don't really think about what I'm doing.

13:58The next step requires James to use a new bit of kit

14:03which increases the chances of a more successful outcome.

14:07This is our diamond burr.

14:09So we turn it on under here so you can see it suddenly starts rotating.

14:14There you go.

14:15Can you see?

14:15Yes.

14:15So it's really subtle.

14:16So like a jewelers thing this is, isn't it?

14:20Yeah, it is a bit, isn't it?

14:21Yeah.

14:22Polishing diamonds.

14:23What's great about this technique is that in theory

14:2670 to 80% of these cases will resolve just with this one treatment.

14:33Really?

14:33So I'm really hoping that we'll get a good result.

14:38Good.

14:38It's peeling away.

14:39It's peeling all the way back there.

14:41Good.

14:42Well, you've done brilliantly.

14:44Can I do anything else?

14:45Mop your head?

14:46I'm going to say something along the lines of that.

14:50This surgery takes 20 intense minutes and precision is key.

14:56Right, I'm going to try and get underneath this third eyelid now.

14:59I might not look at this bit because I'm a bit worried about it.

15:03So we're kind of, you know how you have to sand a wall before you paint it?

15:07It's a little bit like that.

15:08So we're trying to create tiny little micro-scratchers all over the surface of the eye.

15:15To then give the drop somewhere to sort of grip into and hopefully do their job to help heal the eye up as quick as possible.

15:22Yes.

15:23So that's it.

15:24I'm happy.

15:24Oh my goodness.

15:25Do you know what, watching that, it just, first of all, you're looking at dear Mara lying there, you know, vulnerable, fast asleep, which is the emotional part of it.

15:39And then the absolute pride to be standing next to someone like James with all his experience and all his knowledge is incredible.

15:51We just all need these fabulous vets, don't we?

15:54And let's not forget Ella, his nurse.

15:57So together they've given Mara possibly a new lease of life.

16:02Our three vets see more than 15 patients a day and their job wouldn't be possible without the support of their four veterinary nurses.

16:20So I'm keen to know more about their role.

16:22Today we have got both you, both Ellers.

16:26Two Ellers.

16:27Yes.

16:27Why did you want to be a veterinary nurse?

16:30I always knew it was animals that I wanted to work with growing up.

16:33Where that would lead, I wasn't sure at the start, but soon it became quite clear that nursing was the path.

16:39Because I just enjoy that nurturing and caring side of the patients that you get to do in this job.

16:44Yes, tell me, what is your, what are your jobs?

16:48Oh gosh.

16:48Where do we start?

16:49Nurses can do what's called like schedule three procedures.

16:52So that's including like stitch ups, so like small lump removals.

16:56So doing that as part of nursing is really interesting.

16:58So you're getting properly hands on.

17:00Day to day we're running anesthesias for surgeries happening.

17:04We're looking after the inpatients, like the hospital patients, laboratory work, dental procedures.

17:09Do you get emotionally involved with the animals that do come in?

17:13I would say so.

17:15You, I think in order to do this job successfully, you have to, for me anyway, I know that being able to care is having that emotional connection to them and being able to do my job properly.

17:25It's important to have that separation as well.

17:27I just love being involved in all of it.

17:29So similarly making sure that you're looking after the patient.

17:32It's a good feeling, I think, working and knowing you're doing a good, yeah, doing a good thing.

17:42The life expectancy of pets has generally increased over the last few decades, mainly due to the advances in veterinary care.

17:51On average, our domestic kitties roughly reached the ripe old age of 11, but now they're living longer than they used to.

17:57And 18-year-old Paws is a prime example.

18:04Paws is just an absolute dream of a cat.

18:08He has got a big personality.

18:10He makes himself known.

18:13He's really affectionate.

18:15He's a total tart.

18:17He's definitely the boss in the house.

18:19Poor old Barney, his sister, has to defer to him.

18:23They were abandoned and so we fostered them and their mother, Fern, at a week old.

18:30To be honest, Paws is a bit of a man's man and if he had a choice he would choose my husband's lap over mine.

18:35But any lap is better than no lap.

18:37Paws is certainly lapping up the attention.

18:43But this old fellow was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, a common disease in older cats caused by the overproduction of thyroid hormones.

18:52Come on, Barney.

18:54Come up.

18:56I know.

18:57Although Paws is taking meds for his thyroid, Bridget has noticed her feline friend has deteriorated and requires a check-up with James.

19:08Here he is, little man.

19:10How have you been doing?

19:11How has it been getting on?

19:12He definitely is not well.

19:15So he's not meowing anymore.

19:17Whereas before he was calling out, he was really asking for food, asking for cuddles and now he's just gone really, really quiet and he's definitely still losing weight.

19:31Okay.

19:32Yeah, he's really not himself.

19:33He's definitely not himself.

19:35Let's have a good look over him generally.

19:37And any vomiting or diarrhoea?

19:39No, he's not vomiting anything.

19:40And I've no idea about diarrhoea because he goes outside.

19:43Okay.

19:43Let's have a feel of his thyroid gland under here as well.

19:47Okay, it's okay, sweetheart.

19:50There you go.

19:50You can just feel it's a little bit enlarged there.

19:54Typical thyroid symptoms are increased appetite and weight loss.

20:00And Paws meds should be helping to combat that.

20:03His left kidney does feel a bit more irregular, which, feel alone, that's just a finding.

20:09I think what we would ideally do here would be to scan him.

20:12So, to do an ultrasound scan so that we can actually see physically what the shape of that kidney is and if there are any changes there.

20:20With his thyroid medication, does he take that quite well?

20:23Oh, yeah.

20:23Because we've been giving him treats afterwards.

20:25Okay.

20:26So, he's like, yeah.

20:28The Pavlov dogs thing.

20:29Yeah.

20:29And he's very happy to take it.

20:32Great.

20:32So, it's going to be a morning with us, Mr. Paws.

20:36One of the big things we want to rule out today would be some sort of cancerous process, whether there's some changes in that kidney that might explain why he's sort of suffering with the weight loss, why his appetite is a bit variable.

20:47Or it could be potentially even a reaction to some of the medication that he's on.

20:51We need to kind of keep a bit of an open mind, get the scan done, see what we can find, and then kind of make decisions from there.

20:59Bye-bye, sweetheart.

21:00Bye-bye, lovely.

21:09Coming up, I check in on Labrador Rusty.

21:12He does look sorry for himself now, not bouncing as he was earlier.

21:18And I explore the benefits of hydrotherapy for pets.

21:23How much longer do you think you might be doing the hydrotherapy?

21:25I think while she's still enjoying it, and while we're still seeing improvements, then we'll stick with it.

21:31It's just like a big bath for her.

21:36Oh, I thought we were here about my allergies.

21:39No, no, it's fine.

21:40It can be about you.

21:41Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

21:45Ah, stung by a bee.

21:48Don't judge me.

21:50It'll probably happen again.

21:52Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

22:01Earlier today, we admitted lovable lab Rusty, who's been struggling to manage his newly diagnosed Addison's disease.

22:09Here's little Rusty.

22:12Oh, hello.

22:13Oh, here he comes.

22:14Oh, here he comes.

22:14Concerned he's off his food and dehydrated, James decided to put Rusty on a trip to try and rehydrate him.

22:22He does look sorry for himself now, not bouncing as he was earlier.

22:28No, he's still definitely a bit flat, but it's a good sign that he's a bit interested in what we've got here.

22:35Oh, this is, hang on a minute.

22:35Look.

22:36Chef has prepared a little something for you.

22:39Oh, there we go.

22:40Oh.

22:41This is, this is great news.

22:44The dog is eating a meal.

22:45This is great news.

22:46So that, one of the symptoms that we see with Addison's is that they do go off their food.

22:50How common is Addison's in dogs?

22:53It's, Addison's is, honestly, it's actually quite rare.

22:56It's something that we look out for in lots of times.

22:58So Addison's is something that we, as vets, we've always got it on our radar because it can mask as so many other diseases.

23:05Lots of poorly dogs come in and you kind of have it on your list of possibilities.

23:10So quite often we'll test for Addison's.

23:12Right.

23:12But nearly always it comes back not Addison's and it's something else going on.

23:16But in Rusty's case, it was interesting.

23:18He got the blood tests absolutely sort of diagnostic for Addison's disease.

23:22So once you've got him stabilised, how do you treat that?

23:26So we treat it with steroid tablets and an injection of something called Zycortil.

23:30And then hopefully, other than that, he should be able to live a good quality and full life.

23:35He's a good boy there, isn't he?

23:38Rusty has shown some signs of improvement.

23:41But James still has concerns which he wants to discuss with his owner, Guy.

23:48Hello?

23:48Oh, hi, Guy. It's James from the vets.

23:51Hello, James. How are you doing?

23:52Hi. Yeah, not too bad, not too bad.

23:55We've got some updates.

23:56He's been on fluids all day.

23:58The only thing that is still a little bit concerning is that he's had quite a bright red diarrhoea,

24:03which would suggest that there's blood in there.

24:05I am a little bit worried about whether he's got either some gastric ulceration or something like that

24:11that may be as a consequence of not eating for so long, or it might be a consequence of the steroid that he's had as the medication for the Addisons.

24:20And I think it's now a little bit of a judgment call whether we keep him on the fluids overnight,

24:26he would need to go up to the out-of-hours hospital, or the other option is whether we send him home.

24:30You're the boss, but my instincts are that maybe he should go in overnight.

24:34I think clinically that makes more sense, rather than trying to rush him home.

24:38OK.

24:38Let's stick with that.

24:39Thank you, James.

24:39OK?

24:40Bye-bye.

24:41Bye-bye.

24:42Bye.

24:43As Rusty is now a critical case and needs close monitoring,

24:47he'll be heading off to an out-of-hours hospital where he'll be on a drip throughout the night.

24:59Right, here we go.

25:00There he is.

25:06He does, doesn't he?

25:10Pensioner Paws has a thyroid condition and has recently deteriorated.

25:15After a once-over, James discovered a possible issue with his kidneys,

25:19so this old chap needs a scan.

25:23Let's give him...

25:24We'll just give him a couple of minutes and see if that makes him go a little bit drowsy.

25:28Because of his age, just a small amount of anaesthetic is used to make him sleepy

25:34and to keep him still.

25:41Right, let's have a little look.

25:42How are we doing?

25:43Is he...

25:45Oh, that's looking good.

25:47Hello.

25:47He's looking a little bit sleepy out there, so that should mean that we can do this scan

25:54without causing too much distress.

25:56So we're going to use the scanner, very similar to, like, a human pregnancy scanner,

26:02to just have a look inside and come up with an image so we can physically see the shape

26:06and the architecture of his kidneys, of his bladder, of his liver.

26:09Have a really good look around and just see if we can spot anything that might explain

26:14his symptoms.

26:15So that, I think, is his left...

26:18This is his left kidney here.

26:23Straight away, James can see abnormalities in the kidney

26:26and calls in vet Amy for her opinion.

26:30She has a particular interest and a wealth of experience in ultrasonography.

26:35It's definitely an abnormal kidney.

26:38It's not looking lovely, is it?

26:40His right kidney was 4.2 and then the abnormal left kidney was 4.7.

26:45This is just completely abnormal.

26:47It doesn't necessarily look cancerous, though, does it?

26:50It doesn't look like we've got a growth on there as such.

26:53No.

26:54It's just the whole kidney looks enlarged and just...

26:57I think to know anything more about that kidney, you need to take kidney biopsies and

27:01things, which mean an anaesthetic, and it's quite a big undertaking for an older cat.

27:07I think his owners are a little bit more focused on making sure he's comfortable and feeling

27:11well, rather than necessarily having an absolute diagnosis.

27:19We've done the ultrasound scan on pause, and we know that there are definitely changes

27:23in that left kidney, which is much bigger than it should be, and all of the internal structures

27:28of the kidney are kind of sort of unrecognisable.

27:31So what we're going to do is just play about with his thyroid medication a little bit, because

27:35I think it could well be that the dose of his medication is causing a few side effects,

27:40so we might be able to make him feel a little bit better as well.

27:43I think we can be sort of cautiously optimistic.

27:46At least I haven't found anything really serious today, so I think we can say that's pretty good news.

27:51Right, shall we get you home?

27:53Have a little snooze all afternoon.

27:55It's going to have a lovely afternoon.

27:56It's going to have a lovely afternoon.

27:57I think it's a curl up and watch some nice movies afternoon.

28:01Isn't it?

28:02Hey?

28:03Perfect.

28:04Me.

28:04Yeah, absolutely.

28:04Absolutely.

28:04The vets here have more than 50 years of experience between them, from surgical techniques to routine

28:18check-ups.

28:18But alongside conventional care, vets can also recommend complementary therapies.

28:27I'm really surprised, I don't know why I'm surprised, that there is so much room now for

28:33complementary medicine for animals, rather than the conventional, modern, scientific medicines.

28:39Yeah, and it is.

28:40It's growing all the time, and I think that's, you know, as a vet, I think that's fantastic.

28:45I think anything that we can do to approach our pet's health from a holistic point of view,

28:50whether that's nutrition or it's complementary therapies, wherever we are with it, I think we

28:54have to embrace that, because, you know, if we can find ways to reduce how many drugs we're

29:00having to give animals, or we can improve their quality of life, then we absolutely should

29:04embrace that with open arms, I think.

29:07And the evidence is clearly there.

29:09Yeah, and that's what's great, is that actually, as these things do become more popular and

29:14more people do opt to use them, it means that we get much more data, and data is power.

29:19It adds to that snowball effect to say, look, let's take this seriously.

29:23That's very good, isn't it?

29:24And it saves a bit of money, I suppose, on other more invasive things that you might,

29:29as a vet, have to do.

29:31Yeah, absolutely.

29:31And I think, you know, not only can it save money on surgeries, but also if that reduces

29:36how many medications we're having to use, especially maybe for older pets, where the side effects

29:41of certain pain relief medication, for example, might mean we can't use as much as we might

29:46like to, to keep them comfortable.

29:48Using other forms of therapy to just bring those pain levels down a bit can really, really

29:53help.

29:55I'm intrigued to learn more about complementary therapies, so I'm stepping outside the vets

30:01to see how they can help.

30:03One area that's growing in popularity is hydrotherapy.

30:07There are about 152 centres like this around the UK, and they can help osteoarthritis, orthopedic

30:14conditions, soft tissue injury, and even weight loss.

30:26Qualified veterinary nurse George Plummer started her hydrotherapy clinic seven years ago on her

30:32family's farmland.

30:35So how have you come from veterinary nurse to hydrotherapy expert?

30:41Yeah, well, I used to work at a referral hospital, and there they had their own rehab centre, and

30:47it's just been a passion of mine, and just, it took off from there.

30:50What kind of things can you treat here?

30:52Everything from sort of arthritis to elbow and hip dysplasia, spinal surgeries, we see

30:58dogs, we see cats.

30:59Cats in the water?

31:01Yes.

31:01They cope with that?

31:02Yes.

31:02Yeah.

31:03That's extraordinary, isn't it?

31:04And this is expensive, so is this coverable under insurance?

31:08Most insurance companies will cover this under complementary therapy on their insurance policy.

31:13We always ask owners to check with their provider just to make sure that it is covered.

31:18George's first patient today is eight-year-old Spud and his owner, Emily.

31:23Hello, how are you?

31:25Hello, good, thank you.

31:26Good.

31:26How's he been?

31:27He's been really good.

31:28Good.

31:28Any problems?

31:29No, fine since last time.

31:31Spud was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia when he was two.

31:35The condition results in arthritis in later life, so Spud has been attending 30-minute

31:41hydrotherapy sessions to help alleviate his symptoms.

31:46Here we go.

31:52He's trying to figure out how to get it without getting in.

31:56Yeah.

31:56To tempt Spud into the pool, George is armed with a special doggy treat.

32:03Good boy.

32:04Yes.

32:06I know, I know.

32:07That's fine.

32:08When you're ready.

32:08This is special dog peanut butter.

32:10This is peanut.

32:11Yeah, P-mutt.

32:12P-mutt.

32:13Excellent.

32:14So the best way to manage sort of elbow and alberta-space and arthritis is to keep

32:19dog's weight lower, just so it helps with less pressure on the joints.

32:23So when we're using the peanut butter for him, we're using very small amounts just so that

32:28he's got enough just to lick and keep him interested, but not enough to put the pounds

32:32on.

32:32Yeah, exactly, because it's his high-density calories, isn't it?

32:36But also good for him, natural oils and things.

32:39Absolutely.

32:40Good boy.

32:41You coming down.

32:42Well done.

32:44How warm is the water there, George?

32:46It's 30 degrees, so it's nice and warm.

32:48It's very therapeutic, but it helps with pain relief.

32:51It's been nice, warm water, so it opens up blood vessels, it relaxes the muscle, and it's

32:56really good to get him fluid to the joints when they start moving around in here as well.

33:00Does this jacket have a buoyancy aid in it?

33:02Yeah, so this is a life jacket, which just helps give him a little bit more buoyancy.

33:07He does like to get in and out.

33:09Don't shake on me.

33:12Nice.

33:13Then you're ready.

33:14This treatment can be life-changing for pets.

33:1850% of older dogs will get arthritis due to wear and tear, so doing non-weight-bearing

33:24exercises can really help.

33:27He was limping quite badly when we started, and his limp is gone at the moment, so I think

33:33he's just more comfortable.

33:35You can see the difference.

33:36Yeah.

33:37Yeah.

33:37He's swimming really well.

33:39How does it build up through the session, George, for what he's doing?

33:43As he progresses, he will increase the time that he swims, or how long he's swimming

33:47for.

33:48Good boy.

33:49It's a big commitment for you, Emily, to spend this much time on him.

33:55Yeah, he's worth it, though.

33:57That was the right answer.

33:59Yeah.

34:00Are you insured for all of this?

34:03Yes, we're insured with Pet Plan.

34:05This is part of that.

34:10Thank you, I'm loving that.

34:13George's next patient is a rescue, a French bulldog called Boo.

34:26Hello, how are we doing?

34:28Good.

34:28Yeah, are you?

34:28Hi, Boo.

34:29Hi, gorgeous.

34:31All right then, madam, let's go get you dressed.

34:33Yeah.

34:33Come on then.

34:34Let's go.

34:34Sadly, Boo was left paralysed after a risky spinal operation to fix her slipped disc.

34:42So to get her body moving again, she's having underwater treadmill sessions.

34:47Okay, we're going to start when you're ready.

34:50Well done.

34:52Dinner.

34:52Encouraging Boo every step of the way are her family, Esther, Donna, and their son, Theo.

35:02You're doing good, Baba.

35:03You're doing really good.

35:04Well done.

35:04There was a fear that Boo may have to spend the rest of her life in wheels, but the treadmill

35:10targets specific limbs and muscle groups, and nine sessions in, Boo is doing well.

35:15She has got quite a lot of high tone in that leg.

35:19Yeah.

35:20So what do you think it is?

35:22Is just the muscles contracting just too tight now?

35:25Absolutely.

35:26I just think she's just trying to use it a lot more to try and help herself up, so she's

35:30just tensing it a lot more.

35:31Just giving it a little bit of a rub can help with just breaking up that nerve pathway.

35:35Yeah.

35:36Boo has two sessions a week, but the length of treatment all depends on your pet's medical

35:41condition.

35:42Gosh, when you stand here watching this, Donna, what a journey you have been on when you didn't

35:49think you'd ever see her standing or walking.

35:52No, it's been an incredible journey in such a short space of time.

35:59Only been 14 weeks from operation, and there was nothing, no movement in her back end.

36:07So now she can walk, she can run along the beach as she did last week.

36:13Wow.

36:14What does she like doing?

36:16She loves sleeping.

36:17She loves eating cheese.

36:20But as long as she's being cuddled and in a warm blanket, she's happy.

36:25And how much longer do you think you might be doing the hydrotherapy?

36:28I think while she's still enjoying it, and while we're still seeing improvements, then

36:32we'll stick with it.

36:33It's just like a big bath for her.

36:35And it means so much to you as a family.

36:38Oh, absolutely.

36:39You don't see them as a pet.

36:41They become one of your own, and you look after them as you would any other person in

36:47the family.

36:48She's living the most pampered life a dog could have.

36:54Good girl.

36:56Good girl.

36:57When we're standing here watching little Boo, who maybe, you know, a couple of decades

37:03ago would have had no proper future, and here she is, everyone's gone the extra mile

37:08for her, and she's living her very finest life.

37:12And this whole bond between humans and their pets is very real.

37:25Coming up, a pretty Pomeranian is waiting to be spayed.

37:30She's a bit annoyed because she hasn't had her breakfast.

37:34And Mara returns for her post-op check-up.

37:37May I just say, Mara, your outfit is adorable.

37:42Uh-oh.

37:45Vet bills.

37:46Don't worry, Dad.

37:47I'll eat them.

37:48Ha-ha.

37:49See you later.

37:50Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

37:55Oh, I thought we were here about my allergies.

37:58No, no.

37:58It's fine.

37:59It can be about you.

38:00Fern Britain Inside the Vets, brought to you by Petplan Insurance.

38:03It's been four days since nine-year-old Boston Terrier Mara underwent a procedure to treat

38:17a painful ulcer in her eye.

38:19Oh, hello, darling.

38:23She's now back to see James for her post-op check-up and a chance for me to have another

38:28cuddle.

38:29May I just say, Mara, your outfit is adorable.

38:33That pink suits the inside of your ears.

38:36And this lovely lead, very coordinating.

38:40Look at that.

38:41Oh, and by the way, if there's any problem, I have what you ordered, a tube of liver paste.

38:46So I'm hoping today to just have a good look and see kind of how we're progressing and

38:52then re-stain the eye and see if her ulcer has actually healed.

38:55Okay, that would be amazing, wouldn't it?

38:56It would be great.

38:57Okay, if you're happy to have just maybe a little cuddle with her there, I'll get a

39:00couple of bits and pieces of it.

39:01Mara is the most cuddly dog.

39:04How's it going?

39:05All right.

39:05Can you see a bit better?

39:07I'm going to come around the front here so I can see her.

39:09If you'd like to employ paste.

39:11Okay, all right, let's see if she'll let me...

39:13Let's keep going.

39:14Good girl.

39:15Well done, beauty.

39:17Just give me that liver paste.

39:19I'll tell you what, give me that liver paste.

39:22I didn't know you spoke like that.

39:25Mara, surprising.

39:28Right, let me have a little look here.

39:31I'm going to turn the lights off a second, if that's okay.

39:33All right, let's see.

39:35Have we got any ulceration on the eyes?

39:38Let's have a look.

39:41Great.

39:41Okay, so there is still an answer there, but things are definitely going the right direction.

39:46So we'll continue the drops as we are doing, and then I'll see her back in 10 days' time.

39:50Oh, isn't that great?

39:51You just want to finish...

39:52She just wants to finish this tube, and then she'll be getting home.

39:55I can't have too much, mate.

39:57There you go.

39:57Good girl.

39:59Good girl.

39:59The next patient to check in is pretty Pomeranian, Xena.

40:10Good morning.

40:11Have you got Xena?

40:12Xena Moreira, yes.

40:13Lovely.

40:14If you want to take a seat, I'll let the admit nurse know you're here.

40:16Okay, thank you.

40:18This fluffy breed was once popular with Queen Victoria.

40:22Her Majesty even showed them at Crufts in 1891, although they were much bigger dogs back then.

40:28Xena's mum, Paula, also has a passion for these pooches.

40:34I have five plus Xena.

40:37I have them for a few years now.

40:39They're very good.

40:40They love people.

40:41They love cuddles.

40:43And they're small, easy to carry.

40:46And they're just beautiful as she is, as you can see.

40:50Five-year-old Xena is here to be spayed,

40:52a common procedure which can stop pregnancy plus reduce the risk of cancer and womb infections.

40:59She is a little bit worried because there's a lot of people around.

41:03Also, she's a bit annoyed because she hasn't had her breakfast.

41:08Well, she's just a bit nervous.

41:10Vet nurse Ella is overseeing Xena's appointment today.

41:13The right age to have your dog spayed all depends on its breed and size,

41:19so always check with your vet in advance.

41:22She's been absolutely fine for the past couple of days.

41:25No worries, no concerns with her.

41:26No.

41:26No, it's all fine.

41:28And we're not worried that she is coming into season or anything.

41:31When was her season?

41:32No, it should be, her season should be in March.

41:37March.

41:38Really.

41:38Perfect.

41:39And any other questions before I pop her out the back and get her ready for the day?

41:43No questions but requests.

41:44When she's done, please do call me.

41:46Call you as soon as, yeah.

41:48As soon as she's out, we'll let you know.

41:50And then, yeah, we go from there.

41:52Yeah, perfect.

41:52Lovely.

41:53Bye, Xena.

41:54See you later.

41:55I'll give her cuddles.

41:57I'll look after her today.

41:58All right, monkey.

41:59Bye, Xena.

42:00Thanks, Paula.

42:00Thank you so much.

42:01That's okay.

42:02Shall we have a quick check over?

42:05Just make sure you're not swollen under there.

42:09Okay.

42:10So that's a little bit big.

42:14There's a little bit of blood there.

42:17So we might actually be in season.

42:20Even though it's supposed to be in March, you might have to have a chat to your mum.

42:23To reduce the risk of complications, it's recommended that dogs wait a minimum of two to three months

42:29from the end of a season before they are spayed, so Xena will need to return at a later date for her procedure.

42:36It's been two weeks since 18-year-old Paws came to the clinic.

42:48Despite James discovering he had an enlarged kidney, they decided it was best to let him enjoy the rest of his retirement.

42:56Since Paws has been to the vet, he disappeared for a few days and we didn't know where he was.

43:05We would see him every single day.

43:07He would definitely come in for cuddles, come in for food.

43:10So the fact that we hadn't seen him from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday was really worrying.

43:16We put out a flyer around the neighbourhood to see if people had seen him.

43:21I eventually found him hidden under a double bed in the spare room in the very, very far corner behind a whole load of boxes.

43:29It felt really good to get him back because I am worried about him and I do feel as though he is coming to the end of his life.

43:35And I would really like him to feel safe and cared for and loved when that time comes.

43:44Come on then, come on Paws.

43:47Paws has just been truly loved in the heart of our family.

43:52He's a real character.

43:54Yeah, he's been a real joy.

44:05Ten days after his last appointment, Labrador Rusty is bounding up the road with his owner, Guy.

44:19He's ready for his check-up.

44:23Hello.

44:24Hi.

44:24Hello again.

44:25How are you doing?

44:26Nice to see you.

44:27Look at you.

44:28Back to normal.

44:30Amazing recovery, yeah.

44:31Look at you.

44:31This is the Rusty we know and love, isn't it?

44:33Absolutely, yeah.

44:33How's he doing?

44:34So I've got some treats.

44:35Really, really good.

44:36So how's it been the last few days?

44:38Fantastic.

44:38Like back to normal.

44:40With a vengeance, yeah.

44:42Good.

44:42As you can see.

44:43I was going to say, he's eating these treats very well.

44:45Yeah, he's now eating like a lord, chicken and ham and goodness knows what.

44:50What's coming out the back end, is that nice?

44:51Normal, yeah, absolutely.

44:54Great.

44:54Well, this is all music to me.

44:56This is exactly what we kind of hope after a week or so after that first injection.

44:59So, today's plan, I'd quite like to get him weighed and just see if we put a little bit

45:03of weight back on.

45:04Sure.

45:04And then I'll also get his blood test.

45:06And then depending on that blood test, that will determine what dose we give him of his

45:11next injection.

45:12Fantastic.

45:12Okay?

45:13Good.

45:14Right.

45:14Should we get you on the scales, mister?

45:16Hey, let me grab a treat.

45:18To keep his Addison's disease under control, Rusty will need regular check-ups and he'll

45:24be on medication for the rest of his life.

45:27Okay, Rusty, you ready?

45:28Let's go.

45:29Here we go.

45:30Yay!

45:32There we go.

45:33He's looking so bright.

45:34This is just, he's just looking fab.

45:36So, I'm really, really happy.

45:37And then we'll see you back then for his day 28 injection after that first injection.

45:41Wonderful.

45:42Yeah.

45:42Brilliant.

45:42Sounds good.

45:43James?

45:43Yeah, no worries.

45:44No worries at all.

45:44So, we'll see you next time.

45:47All right, nice.

45:48Cheers.

45:48Bye.

45:49Bye.

45:59Sadly, shortly after filming, Paws passed away.

46:03And like Ona Bridget said, he was a real character until the end and will be sorely missed by his

46:09family.

46:17Next time, Inside the Vets.

46:45I scrub up for surgery.

46:48Kidneys over there, hiding on your liver.

46:50Wow, what a piece of kit that is.

46:52And we meet the rescue hounds who've been given a second chance at life.

46:57She looked up at me from the kennel and I felt really affected by it.

47:01The rescue story is so beautiful.

47:03That journey and that relationship can be, can just be so special.

47:06Bye.

47:13Bye.

47:14Bye.

47:15Bye.

47:16Bye.

47:18Bye.

47:20It's going to be okay, Mum.

47:40Fern Britain Inside the Vet, brought to you by Petplan.

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