(upbeat music) - [Narrator] In the heart of glorious North Yorkshire lies the quaint market town of Thirsk.

Here the world's most famous vet, James Herriot, lived, worked, and wrote his best-selling books.

His former surgery and home are now a museum.

But his practice lives on nearby.

(phone rings) - Good morning, Skeldale Veterinary Centre.

- The practice is the original Herriot practice, and that brings with it a certain feeling of responsibility that we're carrying on that Herriot tradition of treating animals of all types and sizes.

- [Helper] Whoa.

- [Narrator] Julian Norton is the Yorkshire Vet.

- Aha!

Coming to work in the morning, we're never quite sure what's gonna happen, and it's a great place to work.

I think it's the best job in the world.

- [Narrator] Julian runs the practice alongside partner and former Herriot trainee, Peter Wright.

- There's no better sight anywhere.

I've been doing it for 35 years now, and I still never get bored of it.

It's what it's all about, really.

- [Narrator] Here, together with Skeldale's dedicated team.

- Oh, she's a fast one.

- [Narrator] They treat animals of all shapes.

- Oh, you've got it, well done!

- [Narrator] Sizes, types.

- Oh, crikey, get off me!

- [Narrator] And temperaments.

(cat hisses) (pig squealing) - I won't bite you, dog.

- [Narrator] It's definitely not glamorous.

- Oh, God!

- [Narrator] But it's varied.

- [Julian] That shouldn't be there.

- It isn't every day you get a chance to cuddle an emu, is it?

- [Narrator] It's rarely easy.

(dog whining) as the Yorkshire Vet carries on the Herriot tradition, treating all creatures great and small.

(gentle music) (gentle music) (rooster crows) Winter has taken hold of the Dales.

Icy frosts sharpen the landscape.

Life will get colder, the ground more crisp, and each day harder for the animals of the moors.

"If only they could talk," as James Herriot once said.

A sentiment certainly shared by Julian.

- So, we're going to see a cow that is not eating.

It's standing around, it's looking lethargic.

And it's the description that we always dread, really, a cow with nonspecific signs of illness 'cause that could be literally anything.

It's like being a detective, being a vet.

Obviously, our patients can't tell us where it hurts or which bit feels peculiar, so a cow with nonspecific illness can be one of the most problematic cases to get to the bottom of a diagnosis.

- [Narrator] Julian must gather all the information he can if he's to identify the problem.

- 'Cause he's got osteoporosis, yeah.

- Yeah.

- [Narrator] The poorly patient's name is Sally.

- The good thing with south Devon cows, they're very easy to manage 'cause they're so calm, aren't they, and gentle, these cows.

- They are, she's gentle, anyway.

But obviously, she's really more gentle today than what she normally is.

- [Narrator] Armed with nothing more technical than a stethoscope, can Julian find the cause of Sally's complication?

(bright music) - Oh, this is just, you don't get to hear that sound very often, but it's a brilliant sound if you're looking to find the problem 'cause there's, within the heart sac where the heart's beating, the heart beats with a booming sound, and there's a gurgling, fluidy, bubbling noise around the heart, which is diagnostic of pericarditis.

- [Narrator] Pericarditis is a swelling of the fluid-filled sac surrounding the heart, and it can be fatal.

- Longer-term consequences is that this cow eventually will end up with heart failure if we don't get it fixed pretty quickly.

Normally, it's caused by cows that accidentally swallow something metal.

If you get a piece of barbed wire got mixed in with feed.

- Yeah, that sounds like it, more like.

- Yeah, and what I'm thinking is that there's a piece of metal sticking from its stomach into its heart.

So what my plan is, is to go in and then reach all the way to there, where its heart is, and pull it out.

- [John] Will it live, then, do you think, or not?

- [Julian] It's got a better chance of living if we take it out than if we leave it there.

- Well, we best have it out, then.

- [Narrator] As metal isn't part of a cow's normal five a day, farmer John's a bit baffled.

- It is very surprising.

I don't know what she's picked up.

Whether she's picked something up from a silage bale that's been raked off the ground for some reason, I don't know.

Be interesting what it is if he gets it out 'cause right now, I don't know.

- [Narrator] With Sally's life on the line, Julian must act fast.

- [Julian] And you can see she's not feeling this at all 'cause it's been numbed.

- [Narrator] Despite being anesthetized.

(Sally snarls) - You all right there?

- I'm all right, yeah.

- [Narrator] Julian must be careful not to scare Sally.

(dramatic music) Back at Skeldale, something's caught Peter's attention.

(upbeat music) - So, what have we got today, Peter?

- Wow, look at that board.

- Wow, yeah.

- Dog castrate, cat castrate, dog castrate, cat castrate, cat castrate.

It's all testicles this morning.

(nurse laughs) All testicles.

We'll just have to crack on, won't we?

- We better had.

(laughs) - The first testicles have arrived.

- [Narrator] Sometimes, a working day can be a bit samey.

- And a fine pair they are, as well.

- Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.

- [Narrator] But now and again, the team can be thrown a curveball.

- This is Dave, the emu.

They're great, they're funny.

They play like children.

They literally play like children.

They run around, roll over, don't you?

- [Narrator] Until recently, owner Steve had three emus.

- (chirping) Cheep, cheep.

- [Narrator] After being attacked by a dog, Dave was the only survivor.

- He was obviously a bit distressed the first few hours.

I've sat with him all night.

But he's brightened up a bit now.

But I'm just worried about his eyesight, basically.

- [Peter] This is a bit different.

- [Steve] I heard it was your first one.

- Well, not my first emu, but I haven't seen one for a year or two, come through.

(upbeat music) - [Steve] This is Dave.

- [Peter] He's called Dave, is he?

- [Steve] Yeah, he's named after my best friend, who died a month ago.

- Oh.

- Suddenly, 57 years old.

So I said, "The first chick that came out, "I'll call him Dave."

It's a nice thought.

When did this fella hatch?

- Just over a fortnight ago.

- Fortnight, yeah.

- [Steve] But he was the last one out, he was the smallest.

The other two were enormous.

They were head and shoulders above him.

But they come out like bombshells.

- Really?

- They're not sedate like a chicken.

You know, nibbles a hole, and in the end, it pops out.

These lot just blow their way out.

- Sounds quite violent, really.

- It does, it was just like shooting a bullet out of a gun, it was.

(Peter laughing) Frightened me, I was stood next to it.

(Peter laughing) I'm just a bit worried about his eyesight.

Both eyes were shut initially.

- Yeah.

- That one's now opened, but that's the one I'm a bit worried about, that one there.

- Yeah, yeah, it's quite swollen, that, isn't it?

- Yeah.

(Dave chirping) (gentle music) (Peter chuckles) - Certainly (laughs) Dave.

Steady on me, old mate.

Steady on me, old mate.

I think that eye's intact.

Would you mind just holding him?

- Yeah, he doesn't like being held, yeah.

(Peter laughing) - [Steve] You're all right, you're all right, you're all right.

- I think what's happened, I think there's a tooth gone.

- [Steve] Yeah, it's on his head, isn't it?

- Yeah, that's where it's-- - [Steve] Yeah, it's squashed, and it's popped to that side.

- It has, it's just, it has suppressed his skull a little bit there.

I'm going to take a little bit of a gamble.

I'm gonna give you some drops with steroid in which will take the inflammation down quicker than just a straight antibiotic drop.

Now, when I say I take a gamble, as far as I can see, the eye itself's intact.

There's no damage to the cornea.

If there was, if it starts to go cloudy at all or look worse, come straight back.

- [Steve] Yeah.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] It's been a lucky escape for Dave.

But owner Steve can rest easy now his emu is in safe hands.

(Dave chirping) - Absolutely beautiful, yeah.

It isn't every day you get chance to cuddle an emu, is it, eh?

I'm a little bit worried about that skull, but I think if he was going to die, then I think it would have happened over the last 12 hours.

So I think with a bit of luck, we might be all right.

I think that eye's going to go down okay.

I think it's gonna go down, isn't it, Dave, eh?

It's gonna go down, yeah.

- [Narrator] Coming up.

- [Julian] That shouldn't be there.

- [Narrator] Julian finds something surprising.

(upbeat music) - [John] Have you found anything like that in a cow before?

- I've never seen anything like that in a cow's stomach before.

- [Narrator] Dave the emu pops back in.

- [Steve] They grow to about six foot tall.

- Mm, you'll have to have a bigger basket when you bring him in then.

- Oh yeah.

- You'll have to have a collar and lead.

(laughs) - [Narrator] and the pressure gets too much for Julian.

- Oh, God!

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Earlier, the Yorkshire Vet was called out to see Sally.

- There's a gurgling, fluidy, bubbling noise around the heart, which is diagnostic of pericarditis.

- [Narrator] Having come up with a theory.

- Normally, it's caused by cows that accidentally swallow something metal.

- [Narrator] Julian began surgery.

(Sally snarls) - You all right there?

- I'm all right, yeah.

(upbeat music) - That's me inside its stomach.

- [Julian] Well, that shouldn't be there.

- [John] What is it?

- [Julian] It looks like my calving rope.

- We've been missing a lot of that.

Did you leave it all when it was calving?

- (laughing) Don't blame it on me.

It's not my fault.

- What the hell is that?

- It looks like something that's very much material.

So, whether that's been causing the problem, I don't know at the moment, I'll need to go back in and see if there's anything else.

- [John] Have you found anything like that in a cow before?

- I've never seen anything like that in a cow's stomach before.

Well, we'll leave it there for now.

- [Narrator] Though not part of a cow's usual diet, the rope may not be Sally's only problem.

- [Julian] Right, ah, no, here we are.

- Something else?

- Yes, not half, something else.

- [Narrator] At last, Julian gets to the point.

- That.

- Whoa!

(Sally moos) You're joking!

How has it got that inside it?

- [Julian] There's no wonder that's gone a long way in 'cause that's really quite pointy.

It's a bit like a lucky dip this evening.

We've taken a rope of some description out of the cow's stomach, and, most significantly, this great big four-inch nail, is it?

- [John] Yeah, quite new one.

- It was right where I was expecting it to be, and sticking into the heart.

So I'm really hopeful that that's the cause of the problems.

Now, I've done this operation a few times before, but to find something as enormous as this, it's a once in a lifetime, I think, for me.

- Bloody hell, Stevie!

- Use that one again.

- We can use that one again.

- (laughs) Yorkshire farmers for you.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Despite removing the nail, Julian must consider further complications.

The problem is, she's still got pericarditis, which is a pretty bad thing to have, so that won't just get better miraculously now we've taken that out.

She's still not out of the woods by any means.

- You're a silly old thing, aren't you, mm?

What to do with you.

- [Narrator] And to add to the drama, there's another surprise.

- She's pregnant, is this cow.

And I can feel the uterus from this hole.

And I can feel a little calf inside the uterus bobbing around.

This operation is definitely to save Mum and baby.

- Yeah, if we hadn't done anything at all, we'd have lost both of them.

- [Narrator] With her baby safely tucked back in.

- [John] That's pretty neat, isn't it, Steve?

- [Narrator] Julian finishes up, leaving behind a pair of admiring clients.

He knew what he was looking for before he stuck his hand down its hole, which I thought was quite clever.

- [Steve] Well, it was just whistling by, though.

It's a brand-new nail and all, isn't it?

- Brand new, never even been bent.

(bright music) - It couldn't have been in a worse place.

So the poor cow was in a lot of pain and really perilously close to death.

And even having removed it, you know, she's still not out of the woods.

There's still a lot of healing to go and quite a lot of problems that still need to be overcome.

So it's still a bit touch and go as to whether she'll make it through.

But, yeah, I mean, you can't believe it, can you?

A nail of that size sticking into that part of the body, quite amazing.

- [Narrator] At Skeldale, a familiar face is back for a checkup.

- Can I have a look?

(gasps) Oh, isn't he gorgeous!

'Cause you always think of emus as being massive, black and white, don't you?

- [Steve] They grow to about six foot tall.

- Mm, you'll have to have a bigger basket when you bring him in then.

- Oh yeah, yeah.

he'll be walking in, I think.

(both laughing) - You'll have to have a collar and lead, Dave.

(gentle music) - He's still got a bit of skin that's a bit worrying.

It didn't go right the way back.

- [Peter] No.

- [Steve] I did put the drops in, obviously, but it did dry out eventually, you know.

It seems quite hard, doesn't it?

- [Peter] It is.

- [Steve] I didn't want to hurt his eye underneath obviously, but.

- All right, all right.

I might have to try and remove that eyelid, 'cause it's died off.

- [Steve] Yeah, it's gone hard, hasn't it, yeah.

- Yeah, I think I might have to try and do something with that.

- [Steve] Yeah.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] It's bad news for Dave.

Surgery can be a risky business for small animals.

- Seeing Dave again now, I'm a bit disappointed, really, that the eyelid isn't doing very well at all.

It's basically died off.

I want to try to remove that eyelid and see if we can save his eye, so that's where we go now.

So it's disappointing, really.

- [Narrator] As Peter gets Dave ready for his op, Julian's been called to an emergency.

(upbeat music) - [Julian] Oh (laughs) it's in there, is it?

- Yeah.

- Excellent.

Just don't let it escape, will you?

- Basically, we got up this morning.

She'd just a lump hanging out the back of her, and we knew there was something wrong, so we brought her down here for Julian to have a look at and hopefully put right.

- [Julian] It looks like it's a rectal prolapse rather than a vaginal prolapse.

- [Matthew] Yeah, yeah.

- The first job, I'll put an epidural in, which numbs the area, and that will allow us to put it back in properly.

It's clearly a rectal prolapse and needs to be corrected fairly quickly 'cause the bowel itself starts to die.

It goes purple, and then it goes black.

And then it perforates, so it's curtains at that point.

So the priority, really, at this stage is to get it back in as quickly as we can and as carefully as we can 'cause the tissue is quite delicate.

This purple bit is part of her intestines that should be inside, and it's gone inside itself a bit like a telescope.

She's tried to pass it, basically, so she's pushed and pushed.

It's popped out, so I've given her an epidural to stop her from straining, but the urge is quite strong still to push.

And that will still be the case until we've got it in.

- [Narrator] As Julian prepares to pop the posterior back.

- Hello, Dave, hello, me old friend.

- [Narrator] Inside.

- How are you doing?

- [Narrator] Dave's operation is about to begin.

- [Peter] It's all over here, just steady on, steady on.

You don't need to panic.

Don't, what a little cutie, aren't you?

There we are, now look.

Now you can put your feet down.

That's it, he's getting quite, he's getting quite strong, isn't he?

The plan is to try and remove all that dead tissue.

It's difficult to visualize his eye underneath, so we'll have a bit better look at his eye when we get all that dead tissue off.

I'm just hoping that we can get away without removing his eye.

(gentle music) Right, shall we try and get him knocked out, Rach?

It isn't every day you have an emu on the table, let alone a baby emu, so slightly apprehensive.

Anesthetic's the dangerous bit because, with any baby, the anesthetic risk is so much greater, whether it's a bird or whatever.

So it's something that has to be watched pretty carefully.

- Okay, Rach?

- Yeah.

- There's always a lot of pressure on whenever you're working on any animal.

Pets are very dear to people, and Dave is no exception.

I could tell how distraught his owner was when this bird got attacked.

How much it meant to him, you could see.

It was written all over his face.

We've taken the tissue off now.

I'm tempting fate now, but this seems to be going remarkably well so far.

Yeah, a little bit of damage there on the surface of the eye.

Basically, he's damaged the cornea, as well, which we weren't able to see before.

That's torn down there, Rach.

I'm just concerned because this corner of his eye, it's, the tissue was torn there, probably with the initial trauma.

So I'm just going to pop a stitch in the corner of that eye.

Just not quite happy with it yet.

(slow dramatic music) - [Narrator] Peter must proceed with pinpoint precision or risk causing further damage to Dave's eye.

- [Peter] I think it's fair to say, with a chap like Dave, he's much more manageable now than he will be in six months' time, so I suppose if we're going to get a horrible injury like this, from a veterinary perspective, it's much easier.

- That's brought it together a lot.

- [Peter] That's better, isn't it?

Right, now you're looking like a proper emu.

The problem now is, the owner's going to have to put antibiotic drops in and some other stuff to help the ulcer heal.

So we're not out the woods yet.

You know, if his ulcer deepens, then we can still be in trouble.

You know, the eye could rupture.

So that's our next step now to get this ulcer healed.

But we've taken a big step forward today.

And in Dave's case still, a big step will mean a big step, won't it?

(both chuckling) - [Narrator] Back in the car park, the pressure is building.

- Oh, God!

(all chuckling) - [Matthew] Good morning for you.

(laughs) - Good way to start a week.

I just better make sure I keep my mouth shut.

- [Matthew] Yeah.

(laughs) - So, sort of what happens is, you think you're getting nowhere, and then, suddenly, it just pops back in.

Yeah, oh, God!

Oh, you're definitely at the right end, you two.

(men laughing) (gentle music) It's back in now.

Look at that.

- Ah, spot on, that.

- It's making your eyes bulge, isn't it, old girl?

So, you can see once its back in, there's a lot less urge to push and strain, so that's a good sign.

Right, so, what we'll need to do now is, I'll put some stitches around there to keep it in place.

Just goes all the way around the anus.

And again, she won't feel this 'cause she's had the epidural, so that's why she's not reacting at all.

So, the next thing to do is to tie this in such a way that it's tight enough that she can manage to go to the toilet, but not tight enough that she, that it pops out again.

That's perfect, that is actually excellent.

Spot on, thanks.

- Cheers, thank you very much.

- I'll just, you can pop her back in.

I'll just get a jab for her.

- [Narrator] As soon as he's got things all sewn up, his client sheepishly escapes.

Still to come.

- We're all right.

- I'm coming, Pete.

- [Peter] It's all right.

- [Jean] Give us your tail, mate.

- [Narrator] Peter visits one of his oldest friends.

Right across the BTM.

(bird squawking) - [Narrator] Head nurse Sarah meets a bird behaving badly.

And Julian teams up with Peter to castrate a donkey.

- [Julian] Not the biggest testicles.

- We don't need big testicles.

(bright music) - [Narrator] As Yorkshire glistens in winter's icy grip, life's vibrance shines through in the characters of Mother Nature.

And Peter's off to see two of his own favorite characters.

- [Jean] Oh, come on, me little sugarplum.

- [Narrator] Steve and Jean Green.

- Well, Steve and Jean are the old type of character.

Steve's 86, and Jean's 65.

They won't mind me telling you that.

And they are colorful characters.

And we're lacking in that type of person these days.

(gentle music) - [Narrator] Last year, Peter helped guide the Greens through one of their toughest challenges.

- (sobs) I loved those cows like loving kids.

But that's the end of the matter.

- [Narrator] After Steve took ill, they were forced to sell their much-loved dairy herd.

- I'm very heartbroken, really.

But, you see, it might be a bit much for me in winter.

- Bye, Giraffe, bye, Sprocket.

Bye, Bobtail.

(sobbing) Oh, it was heartbreaking.

I'd never shed so many tears.

I couldn't even sleep at night.

We're still dreaming about them today.

- Thank you.

- Bye, girls!

(Jean sobbing) I get tears, but what can you do about it?

That's life, cows you can replace, but you can't replace a human life at any point.

And I can feel it yet coming.

It just breaks my heart to think about them and where they have gone and what's happening to them.

(auctioneer chattering) - Hiya, son.

- [Narrator] As vet and friend, Peter was on hand in Jean's darkest hour.

(auctioneer chattering) - [Jean] I'm glad you've come.

- I felt as if I had to come if I could because these cows were Steve and Jeanie's life, really.

I just came to support her, and I think that's what matters.

- [Narrator] The prospect of a farm without cows was too much to bear for the Greens.

They found themselves unable to let go completely.

Come, Rhubarb!

(tapping) Rhubarb and Custard.

- Oh, we have some young stock, yes.

They're easier to handle and no milking.

- You're beautiful, right, yeah.

You're English-cheddar gorgeous, aren't you?

- [Narrator] It's one of these calves that Peter's here to see today.

(bright music) But not before catching up with his old chum Jean.

- [Peter] Are you in, Mrs. Green?

- [Jean] Oh, hiya, Peter.

- Have I come at a good time?

(dog barking) - [Jean] No, no, no, will you be quiet?

- There's never a dull moment when I come to Steve and Jeanie's.

Never a dull moment.

In fact, I never quite know what's coming next.

- [Jean] How's your freeze and your knobbly knees, Peter?

- [Peter] Well, just the same as usual, really, Jean.

They never get in (laughs).

(Jean chattering) - [Narrator] There are now only a handful of calves on the farm.

Keep your feet up.

- [Narrator] And some are as characterful as Jean.

- [Jean] Just stand there a second.

- [Peter] Right.

- You get an ass grabber, he'll nip your ass.

I used to tell him, "You don't touch what you can't afford."

(Peter laughing) - I don't think they like my bottom, Jean.

They're not paying any attention.

No, I obviously don't smell right.

(playful music) - [Narrator] Peter's patient, Romeo, is having trouble with his knee.

That's not stopping him giving Peter the runaround.

- We're all right.

- I'm coming, Pete.

- [Peter] It's all right, Jean, I've got it.

- Romeo.

- I've got it, right.

- [Narrator] Animal caught, Peter gets on with the examination.

- [Jean] Give us your tail, mate.

- [Narrator] But Jean carries out an assessment of her own.

Right across the BTM.

- As it's growing, Jean, it's growing quicker on the inside of the bone than on the outside.

- Yeah.

- It has been damaged at some time.

It's damaged the growth plate there, and instead of it growing evenly, it's growing more on the inside of the bone than on the outside of the bone.

- So, what's to do?

- Well, nothing, nothing.

It will do reasonably okay.

It'll always have a slight deviation out over.

On deep straw, like you've got here, it won't take any fault at all.

It'll struggle a bit more when it goes on concrete.

- [Narrator] It's back to business as usual on the Greens' farm, and Peter's happy to catch up with his old friends.

(gentle music) - [Peter] You're looking well, Steve.

You're looking-- - Peter.

- I am?

- You are, aye.

I think stopping milking cows, you know, was a good thing.

- I do.

- Aye, aye, it was.

- [Peter] I think it was getting a bit much.

- I've known Pete since 1982, since he first come out of college and went to work for Alf Wight.

Here, Peter, happy New Year to you, son.

- Jean, you're always generous, but this is beyond generosity.

- Well, you're welcome to it, aren't you?

- Well, you'll ruin me.

- [Jean] If I don't ruin you, nobody else will, lad.

- [Peter] You're right there, you don't drink alcohol.

- I like a bit of Baileys.

- Do you?

- Yeah.

He's got a bottle of champagne today, and I'll always spoil him.

I've always spoiled that lad, from day one, coming here.

He's fantastic.

Bye, Peter, bye, see you again.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Back at base, head nurse Sarah has had an unusual delivery.

- Right, so, we just had a client brought this little bird in.

His daughter's found it where she lives.

It looks, it is a bird of prey of some description.

So, I'm just gonna grab it out of the box and have a look.

Then we can determine what bird we've got in here, as well.

- [Narrator] Sarah must take care.

- Hello, darling.

- [Narrator] Not to frighten the bird.

- I think it's along the lines of a sparrow hawk.

There we go, beautiful bird.

If you can see, the claws on these birds are extremely sharp, and they will just penetrate straight through anybody's skin.

There we go.

(bird squawking) Right, I don't think there's a lot wrong with this bird.

I have a feeling it has just plain and simply flown into a window or a door.

So what I'm gonna do is, I'm going to keep him in the quiet and in the dark for a couple of hours.

Just let him come to terms with hitting whatever he's hit.

And then I'll take him back off with myself later on, and we'll let him out and see how he goes.

Right, so, I'll just put this little fella into isolation, where we can turn the lights off and keep him as quiet as we can.

(upbeat music) (sheep bleats) - [Narrator] Rebecca Ducker has a farm.

- [Rebecca] Morning, Zebedee.

- [Narrator] And on that farm, she has a donkey.

- This is Zebedee, and he's called Zebedee because he has beautiful zebra-like stripes on his legs in the summer.

There's a good boy!

How does such a little boy got so much problems?

Today, Zebedee is going to be gelded, castrated.

(Zebedee braying) - Oh, he's still frightened.

Ah, ah, ah, it's all right.

- [Narrator] To prepare for the castration, Rebecca and her husband must give Zebedee a tranquilizer.

- What you have to do is stuff it in there, so-- - Yeah, well, you load each one into a bit of bread.

- Put this in there.

- I missed my calling in life, tranquilizing donkeys.

(Rebecca laughs) - [Narrator] Stubborn or stupid, this donkey's having none of it.

- Nice.

- Trust me, this is all for your own good, mate.

You wouldn't want to go through what you're going through if you weren't tranquilized.

- They're not used to sweetie things too much, so Peter said give him a honey sandwich or something, some peanut butter or something with the tablet in, and really.

So, how many has he had, then?

- I'd say he's had four now.

That's the best we're gonna do.

- Yeah, well done.

- The vet's gonna have to take his own chances now.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Carrying out today's castration is not one, but a pair of vets.

Namely, Peter.

- Well, it's a nice day.

- Isn't it, yeah, it's lovely.

Nice to see you.

- Nice day to have some testicles removed, isn't it?

- [Narrator] And Julian.

- [Peter] Have we got the required number?

- Everything's there, yeah.

- Good.

- [Julian] Not the biggest testicles.

- [Rebecca] Little boy nature, this one.

(laughs) - We don't need big testicles.

- [Julian] No, they'll come off a treat, I think.

- [Peter] All right, Zeb, bum around.

Bum in the corner, please, Zeb.

- When a donkey's called Zebedee, I expect it's 'cause they do a lot of jumping around.

(all laughing) - With Zeb, and with entire horses, donkeys, they can become quite unmanageable.

Come on, Zeb.

When the testosterone starts to flow, the male sex hormone can make them more aggressive.

It can give them the urge to do what comes naturally.

And that in itself can be quite dangerous.

There's a good boy.

- [Narrator] Testosterone is a problem for all alpha males, as demonstrated the last time Peter and Julian worked together.

- When it comes to the time when the stitches come out, we can see whose side of the cow looks neatest.

- No competition.

It's as good as in the bag.

- [Narrator] On that occasion, Julian came out on top.

- It's great operating with Peter 'cause he makes my work look even neater than it is already.

- Doesn't like the look of you, does he?

- [Julian] (laughs) He doesn't, no.

- When I'm working with Julian, it's usually because we've got something, potentially, that's a little bit more tricky because you sometimes need someone with experience to know when things are going to go pear-shaped.

If things go wrong, then you need to be half a step ahead.

Is he happy?

- [Julian] No, I wouldn't say he's happy, but he's anesthetized.

- It just comes with practice and experience, and he's getting there slowly.

I think, another 10 years, we'll have the finished article, but we'll keep working on him.

- [Julian] I suppose this is probably the most dangerous part of the procedure 'cause if he's not quite asleep enough, then that foot can recoil back and hit Peter in the head, which is a bit of a, a bit of a risk.

But he's all right so far, is he?

- [Peter] So far, things are good.

- [Julian] Have you ever eaten a testicle?

- What?

- Have you ever eaten a testicle?

- I have not!

- [Julian] I've only eaten them once, and-- - Did you?

- I was castrating some bulls, and they just looked reasonably appetizing.

The problem was, I ate them with new potatoes and cauliflower, and it wasn't the best combination of-- - Doesn't sound it at all.

Dear, oh, dear.

- Massive procedure almost over.

- [Rebecca] Oh, good.

Is that one of the testicles there?

- Yeah.

- [Rebecca] Is there another one?

- Yeah, we've got the two, yeah.

(Peter laughs) - [Julian] That's it, not much is it, really.

Not to fuss over.

- Oh my goodness, no.

- Not a lot, really.

(Rebecca laughs) - [Peter] It'll take a short while for his hormone levels to drop back down to basal levels, but he'll be very manageable now, and that's the whole reason for doing it.

He can have a pleasant life now, and not worry about what his testicles were put there for.

I don't think it's nice for him to see his testicles when he comes round.

- [Rebecca] (laughs) No, exactly.

- [Peter] They're right in front of his nose.

That's taking the mickey.

That's pushing it a bit too far.

He'll have a much happier life.

Living in North Yorkshire, what could you have any better?

It's absolutely idyllic.

When we look at these views over there, he's got much more important things to consider rather than sexual activity.

(both laughing) (donkey brays) - Oh, hello.

- [Narrator] Not sure Mum agrees with you, Peter.

(Zebedee whimpers) - [Peter] That was a bit pitiful, Zeb.

- [Julian] "Mum, what have they done to me?"

(bright music) - [Narrator] Coming up.

- If we're gonna do it, we need to do it really quickly.

- [Narrator] The surgical team try to remove a deadly tumor.

- Oh, God.

What's under there, look.

How on Earth are we gonna get that out?

- [Narrator] As the North Yorkshire dales and moors snooze under an icy blanket, life slows down for its inhabitants.

(bright music) Back at Skeldale, it's the same story.

But in theater, there's no time to rest.

Jess is a 12-year-old Jack Russell cross who's been brought in for surgery.

- Jess has a very large tumor in her abdomen which is putting a lot of pressure on her.

And it's basically a tumor that she's not going to be able to really live with.

But she's also an old dog and not in great condition.

So an anesthetic is risky.

But given the choice of putting her to sleep or trying, the owner has decided to try.

(slow dramatic music) - [Narrator] It's the first time Jess has been to Skeldale.

The odds of surviving this operation are slim.

Here we go.

- [Narrator] Just seconds in, Jess has gone into sudden cardiac arrest.

- [Beckerlegge] Just to open it.

I'll do it.

- [Narrator] As the team perform CPR.

- [Sarah] Yeah.

- [Narrator] Peter gives a shot of adrenaline.

- It's coming, it's getting there.

- We're coming back, the heartbeat's getting stronger.

She's breathing on her own now.

- [Narrator] The team successfully resuscitate Jess, but her life balances on a knife edge.

- She's not coping with her anesthetic at all, and obviously, we can't do surgery without having her under.

Priority right now is bringing her back, which she's obliging us with.

Hopefully she'll continue.

And then we'll need to figure out what to do next.

(dramatic music) Gone again.

Peter, have you got any more adrenaline?

- [Peter] Yeah, coming.

- Gone, I think you'll have to go with that straight into the heart.

There's a pulse again.

- Yeah, it's getting stronger.

- [Sarah] Stabilizing okay?

- No, it's not stable, but at least there's a heartbeat.

- [Narrator] Having gone into cardiac arrest twice, the team have a difficult decision to make, carry on or put her to sleep.

- If we had seen her two weeks ago, we could have had a chance.

But she can't cope with the anesthetic.

- [Julian] Have you spoken to the owners again now?

- I told them we could lose her, but I said to not do anything is not really a realistic option with her well-being in mind.

- I don't see that there's anything to lose.

If you're gonna put her to sleep otherwise, then we may as well try and take it out.

And if she doesn't make it, she doesn't make it.

- [Narrator] Despite the odds being stacked against them.

- If we're gonna do it, we need to do it really quickly.

- [Narrator] The Yorkshire Vet decides he's not giving up without a fight.

(dramatic music) - It's gonna be pretty touch and go, but I think the best chance is if we can get this out as quickly as possible and get her round and recovered.

I think the consensus is that the chances are fairly low, but we're going to give it a go and see what we can do.

'Cause once we've got into the abdomen, if it's gonna be removable, then we can get the mass out, and that will immediately relieve what pressure is on the lungs.

- [Peter] Is she stable?

- Sort of.

How on Earth are we gonna get that out?

Did that help the breathing in any way?

- [Sarah] Yeah, she's absolutely leveled.

I'm really pleased.

Her color's come back so much better since you opened it up.

- Yeah, I thought it would take a lot of the pressure off.

- Pressure off, yeah.

- [Narrator] With Jess showing signs of improvement, it's encouraging.

- Oh, God.

(liquid splashing) It's a massive tumor.

- I have her.

- I think it's probably a big necrotic tumor round the, oh, there, look.

It's a big tumor round the back of the kidney.

Let's not keep going, Sarah, don't see the point.

- She's not gonna survive.

- Yeah, there's no coming back from this, I don't think.

- [Narrator] Despite a brave fight and a gallant attempt from the team, it's the end of the line for Jess.

- It's difficult, even a dog that you just meet for the first time.

You know, and you want to do the best by them.

You always want to help.

And any dog dying, or any animal dying under our watch, it's difficult.

(sighs) So, the only thing we can do now is, they want ashes to cremate, so we'll get her sorted out, and we'll take care of her one last time and get the owner some ashes.

And then they'll have those to remember Jess by.

So they'll at least have something.

(gentle music) (bright music) - [Narrator] Earlier, a sparrow hawk was brought into Skeldale, and seen by head nurse Sarah.

She's brought it back to the place where it was found to set it free.

- It's important to take them back to where they've been found.

If we let him out at work, there's a small possibility that he won't find his way back.

He may come into contact with other birds on his way home, which could cause problems for him, as well.

There we go.

Give him a minute just to see the surroundings.

That's my part of this job complete.

There's nothing else I can do for him now.

He just needs to work out his surroundings, and hopefully he won't sit there too long, although the steam coming out of that chimney does look quite rather warming, so he might stay there a little while.

But let's just hope he gets out and does some successful hunting.

What a lovely ending to my working day.

- [Narrator] Next time on "The Yorkshire Vet".

- [Julian] Oh, you've got it, well done.

- [Narrator] The team are called out to rescue a swan.

- [Sarah] They're beautiful animals, but at the same time, they can be extremely aggressive, as can be seen by that.

- [Narrator] A working police dog is brought in for surgery.

- The next step is to cut through the bone, and this is the kind of gruesome bit.

(sheep bleats) - [Narrator] And Peter helps a mother in trouble.

- There's no better sight anywhere.

I've been doing it for 35 years now, and I still never get bored of it.

It's what it's all about, really, it's lovely.

(upbeat music)