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

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

His former surgery and home are now a museum, but he's practice lives on nearby.

(phone ringing) - Good morning Skeldale Veterinary Center.

- It's a great privilege really, working in this practice.

And it very much is in the footsteps really of James Harriet.

(metal clinking) Makes me very proud really to be part of that heritage.

- [Narrator] Julian Norton is the Yorkshire vet.

- Aha.

We have a wide range of different species that come in to see us, and that gives us this tremendous amount of satisfaction.

I don't think I'd have it any other way.

- [Narrator] Julian runs the practice alongside senior partner and former Harriet Trainee, Peter Wright.

- Everything's Yorkshire isn't it.

- [Peter] There's no final view in England.

I've had a long relationship with the Harriet practice.

And I feel privileged to work in the most famous veterinary practice in the world.

- [Narrator] Here together with Skeldale's dedicated team, (cat meowing) they treat animals of all shapes, (people chattering) sizes.

- God!

- [Narrator] Types.

- Oh crikey, get off me.

- [Narrator] And temperaments.

(pig squealing) It's definitely not glamorous.

- Oh no.

(bird cawing) - [Narrator] But it's varied.

- They're not coming back in there like that.

- You're a little bobby dazzler are ya.

- [Narrator] It's rarely easy.

(woman laughs) - She's a fast one.

- [Narrator] As the "Yorkshire Vet" carries on the Harriet tradition, treating all creatures great and small.

(birds chirping) (soft piano music) It's harvest time in North Yorkshire.

In Autumn's mellow sunshine hardworking farming folk labor from dawn till dusk.

The sun has set, but Julian is still on call.

(tense music) - Well it's 20 plus three in the morning.

My beeper's just gone off to a farmer who's in the middle of nowhere really.

And he's got a a cow that's calving or a heifer I think that's calving, and he's quite worried so he's asked me to go and help deliver the calf.

It's a bad time to be woken up to be fair.

Any call in the middle of the night like this it just completely writes off your night's sleep, which isn't great.

Especially when you've got the rest of the day to work tomorrow and the rest of the weekend to work.

But the cow's obviously in a bit of a pickle so we need to go and help.

- [Narrator] The mom to be worrying farmer Richard is moo baloo.

- Have you got water and things there?

- I'll get you cold water.

- [Narrator] With years of experience, Richard and his son Chris know when something's wrong.

- Hello Chris.

You all right?

How is she, all right?

- Getting a bit stressed I think.

She can kick.

- Oh that's excellent.

(light music) (Julian mumbles) I've gotta pull.

She's obviously not progressing as she should.

Really by this time, she's been on what couple of hours?

Two hours in (cow mooing) the calf should be, well it should have been born really.

And whenever that doesn't happen it always means that there's a problem.

Have you had any movement from the calf?

Do you know whether it's alive?

- [Richard] Don't know.

(metal clinking) - This jack obviously allows us more pressure to pull on the calf.

It just needs to go quite gently to start with.

(cow mooing) When the feet are crossed like that that usually means it's gonna be a big calf.

It's not really particularly want to engage very easily.

(Julian mumbles) That's no talking.

But if we put this on and just walk her back a little bit and just do a sort of halfway out of the crush I think would be the easiest thing.

- Not going to that.

- I don't want it to get stuck you see?

And that is quite a risk when the pressure becomes tight in a pelvis.

Some cows sort of lie down, and if that happens it's really difficult to get the calf out.

Knock her back a bit and close the yoke.

That's perfect actually.

So if she does go down what we need to do is roll onto her side.

And we get actually stuck in the middle of a cut.

So that's a good thing to do that 'cause now she's lying down.

If she was inside that crush would be snookered.

So this is the crux of it really, the next five minutes or so.

- [Narrator] Julian needs to deliver the calf soon.

The lives of both mom and baby are in danger.

- Should we have a go at this?

(metal clinking) (cow mooing) (light music) (birds chirping) - [Narrator] At the surgery, Peter's about to meet a slightly smaller struggling mom to be, Coco and her dotting owner Nicki.

- So Coco is 61 days pregnant.

Been mucking around for 24 hours, going behind the back of the tele, can't settle.

All her bits are a bit bloody.

I don't think there's many in there but and I don't wanna wait and something happen.

- [Peter] Okay.

- I want you to.

- Okay Coco.

- Save her and the babies please.

I know you.

- That was a baby, right along his left body wall.

- Yeah and feels big.

- And it feels quite big.

- That's what I felt yeah.

Yeah you can feel its head and everything.

- It feels a bit of a boozer actually.

- Story of my life.

(Peter and Nicki laugh) (light music) - I'm sorry, I know it's a bully.

- [Nicki] It's okay.

- There's nothing in the birth canal.

She's open there, she should be getting on with it, she isn't.

- [Nicki] And she isn't, that's what worries me yeah.

(Peter mumbles) - Growled at you.

What'd he do?

I know, he's gonna help you.

- She's not in any of this but I think the babies are.

- Okay.

- Without blood there I'm suspicious.

- That's what's worrying me.

- The placenta's starting to separate.

And if we leave them, she's not at risk but the puppies are.

- The puppies are real.

- Let's see what-- - Yeah my son is disabled as well, and he's so looking forward to it.

And if something happened cause I left it I'd be mortified.

- [Peter] We'll look after her, make sure Coco's right.

- Thank you.

- [Peter] And we'll try and make sure everybody's happy.

- Thank you.

(light music) Are you taking her?

- I'll take her.

- She's gonna cry.

- You are gonna cry Coco?

- She will cry for me I'm afraid, she's my shadow.

- Oh you're gonna be very brave are you Coco?

- I love you.

Love you.

- [Narrator] To get her puppies out safely Coco needs an emergency Cesarean.

- Good girl.

- All right.

- Thank you, okay.

(door squeaks) (Nicki sighs) (birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] Coming up, anxious moments for expectant moms, great.

- Can't take a breath.

- [Narrator] And small.

(Peter mumbles) - They're just a bit slow on coming to.

- [Narrator] And is there any hope for a poorly foal?

- To see her like she is, it's horrible.

We're dead nervous to know the outcome really.

I just don't want to lose her.

(light music) (bird chirping) - [Narrator] The North Yorkshire moors, 4:00 AM.

(cow mooing) Julian is trying to help moo baloo with a difficult birth after an emergency call from Farmer Richard.

A big calf makes this a bigger challenge for Julian.

(metal clinking) He needs it out soon to save both mom and baby.

- Just gonna get the (Julian mumbles), if we could just get the head out the rest would follow.

(metal clinking) (cow mooing) Past the point to no return.

(light music) (metal clinking) - Little calf.

Come on.

Go on calf.

Go on calf, take a breath.

Take a breath?

- There we are, go on isn't he.

Excellent.

(cow mooing) (Julian mumbles) isn't that there Richard?

I'm just gonna have a feel inside, make sure she's not dmaaged.

A bit bruised in there but I think she'll be all right.

You'll be all right won't you old boy?

What a size, he's a whopper.

- I'm a bit happier now.

I was expecting a dead calf.

No done a good job.

- It's always another anxious time, you know getting the calf out is the first challenging bit from our point of view.

But then the next bit from a family's point of view, is the mother gonna do what she's supposed to do?

(cow mooing) And clean the calf and dry it and then hopefully be a good mother.

But whilst it is a natural thing, it's I think it is still quite confusing for some animals isn't it?

They don't get to antenatal classes.

Good mother, isn't she?

- [Richard] I hope so.

(Richard laughs) - Well she's got a good mother instincts there, straight to her calf.

(cow moos) See if she's not gonna do that causes all sorts of problems for Richard.

She's doing everything right so far.

That's a grand calf isn't it?

(light music) Well the plan now is to go on and go back to bed for me.

(Richard and Julian laugh) That's my plan.

I guess your plan Richard is to just make sure she's settling down with her calf, but that's our job done really.

Not a bad job.

- A good job.

Good job.

(cow mooing) - [Julian] See you later.

- All right Julian.

(birds chirping) (birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] At the practice, the sheer number of daily operations.

- They're in the first dibs of the table.

- [Narrator] Means cooperation is a constant necessity.

(Peter groans) - [Man] Why didn't you do that first?

- [Narrator] As is teamwork.

- [Julian] Do you want a hand?

- If you want.

Yeah, yeah if you want.

- [Julian] I'd just be a puppy rubber.

- I've heard about boys like you.

(Peter laughs) - [Narrator] Peter and head nurse Rachel's patient is Coco.

- Be very brave Coco.

- [Narrator] Heavily pregnant, she was brought in by devoted owner Nicki.

- She shouldn't be getting on with it, she isn't.

- And she isn't, that's what worries me yeah.

- Coco.

- Save her and her babies please.

- Go to sleep Coco.

Coco isn't under any risk, but her babies are at risk if they're left.

It's pointless continuing, seeing if she can give birth naturally.

So I think I'd rather just get on now.

Coco's mom's gone outside to pace up and down I think, like an expectant mother.

- I just adore her.

She's my shadow, she sleeps in my bed, I go to the toilet, she comes with me.

She's like the daughter I never had, she is my baby.

- Yeah I'm going have to just extend that incision a bit.

I think this is quite a big pup.

- This is worse than when I was pregnant.

I just wanna see her, I just wanna see her, sorry.

(light music) - Oh look at the size of that.

- Whoever the spirit of stimulant was which I think Rachel's given them and it's a case of just working on them usually and rubbing them.

That stimulates breathing, drying them, which is what the mother would do when they're licking them really.

Is that an okay Rach?

- We're just trying to, if we can get it going.

- There's the umbilical cord going to the belly button.

So we're just going to tear that away now.

And there's our next puppy.

I think this is our last one.

We thought there would be three.

I love this bit.

(Peter mumbles) and this makes up for it.

(light music) - Should be squeaking and yeah they're just a bit slow on coming to.

They are taking little gasps, which is good.

- [Peter] What's the heart like?

- Good and strong.

- [Peter] Are they breathing Rach?

- [Rachel] Yeah, they're just steady away.

- [Peter] Good.

- [Rachel] They're all breathing.

- [Peter] Yeah, excellent, well done.

You're with the hardest job really.

(soft music) - I want to see her.

- Two girls and one boy.

- Oh God stop.

(Nicki laughs) - That's nice isn't it?

- Is Coco okay?

- Coco's fine.

I can't put me hand on me heart and say the pups are definitely outta the waods yet.

They should be, but it's too early to say whether they're all going to survive or not.

Look who's here Coco.

- Hi darling.

Hello.

You got babies now, you gotta be a big mommy.

Good girl.

- That's fine.

- We're never doing this again.

I'm so proud of you.

Oh my God, I'm gonna cry more.

- [Peter] Here's your bundle of trouble.

- Oh my god.

- Lovely guy.

- Oh they're tiny.

(puppies whining) - Help them find to get the teet like that and run it well down, well down the throat.

- Yeah come on bubble ubs, get on there.

- [Peter] That's it, that's the spirit.

And she's-- - Lovely strappy-ness.

I love strappy-ness.

- Yeah that's why I'm not married, as I said.

(Peter laughs) - [Narrator] Coco's milk is essential to making these little pups stronger.

- Thank you so much.

- Not at all.

- I'm so sorry that I cried.

- Not at all.

No you've been fine.

- [Narrator] The next few hours will be crucial.

(puppies whining) (light music) (birds chirping) When horses and ponies need help, usually a vet has to go out to them, but there are exceptions, like with Kim and Jessica's aptly named foal.

- We've called Teeny 'cause she's so small.

If I find the tiniest one with it, I'll just make.

- [Narrator] Teeny the Shetland pony was born seven days ago, but this is already her second visit to Skeldale.

- She has like diarrhea.

So we rang and Helen was on, and Helen put her on a drip.

- And when we saw her on Sunday her body was starting to become clinically dehydrated.

Infant animals losing all the water it's taking in through poop basically.

That can very quickly cause their organs not to function properly, cause them to get hypothermic.

Lots of knock on effects, and then very quick could cause it to become quite a serious problem.

(soft music) - She's quite special to us.

- Special.

- Obviously we've had a lot of interaction with her since she was born with her being ill.

So to see her like she is, it's horrible.

I just don't want to lose her.

(door squeaking) (light music) - [Nurse] Oh her heart rate's much better.

- [Teeny's Owner] Good.

- Much much better.

And I've got so Tiny much better as well.

She's much brighter, I mean her ears are moving around today and the whole system's just.

- [Teeny's Owner] Good.

- Booted itself almost.

We've put some fluids into the vein and she has responded.

And now today she's moving around, she's looking, listening.

I suspect she'll be a little bit annoyed when we stick a needle in her and possibly have a proetest, but that's a good and a bad thing to see in these animals, 'cause it's nice that she's actually feeling well enough to challenge us.

There we are brave little thing.

Oh is that, shaky shaky.

(soft music) Teeny is incredibly cute, and it's lovely to deal with a little animal like that.

When we weighed her and she weighed in at seven-and-a-half kilos she was just like a little teddy bear.

Here we are.

Oh yeah so nine point one.

So she's gained nearly two kilos in three days.

- Yes brilliant.

- It's unusual, but you can't help but feel a bit of affection for them really when they're like that these little animals.

- Flex.

- I'm feeling really hopeful now that things are going to be okay.

- We thought we were gonna lose her, but obviously she's going in the right direction.

(people chattering indistinctly) Yeah thank you very much.

- See you later.

- Thank you.

- Bye.

- Thanks.

- She's by all intensive purposes a different little foal to what she was a few days ago.

Looking at her out on the grass as well she's picking at the grass now.

I'm hoping that really with the treatment she'll just go from strength to strength.

(birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] Animals aren't just Julian's job, they are his passion.

On a rare afternoon off he's come to Jackie Barlow's farm with his sons.

This is Archie.

- Hello Archie.

- This is Jack.

- Hi guys.

- [Narrator] The Norton boys are going trekking, alpaca style.

- The boys need some exercise and people love to meet them.

They can get to know the characters a little bit.

- Well Jack's middle name's Cosmo, so I think you should have Cosmo the alpaca.

- [Jackie] That's a great name!

- How about Lloyd?

- Lloyd goes in the front.

I think your dad should take Lloyd 'cause he's quite fast.

He's a bit strong as well.

(light music) - Come on Lloyd let's get cracking.

I've never done this before, so I'm quite excited as to what might be in store for us today.

(Jackie laughs) My alpaca, come here Lloyda.

Seems to be having a bit of a tantrum.

It's not as aeasy as it looks actually.

- The boys are doing okay.

- They're doing okay but I'm struggling slightly but I think we're back on track now.

- Come on!

- Woops oh.

- Oh he's on the rope.

(Jack laughs) - Now we'll do it.

Oops, we'll do it now Jackie.

(Jackie laughs) Come on Lloyd, don't be naughty.

- No.

Think he just sneezed on me.

- Oops yeah me too.

Jack come look at this view.

You're very lucky alpacas boys.

- Yeah, they like higher places you see.

- Of course they do yeah.

- They come from the mountains.

They're South American camel lads.

- Alpacas this way?

(Cosmo laughs) (camera clicks) It's quite nice sometimes to have a bit of animal time just with the boys.

We've got a bit more of a temper haven't we now?

He's got a real trot on.

This is the field of girls is it that he's after now?

- [Jackie] Yeah he's keen to get to the girls.

- They're all keen to see him as well, look they're all got their ears pointing up.

Lloyd what about that?

That's a harem Lloyd of about what, 30 women?

No wonder he's going quickly eh?

(Julian laughs) Oh hello, come back.

(Lloyd whining) Leave the ladies alone.

I know, I know, she's lovely.

She's beautiful but you've got to come back this way.

Lloyd come on.

(Julian mumbles) Come on Lloyd, let's go.

Sorry old boy, your time will come.

(birds chirping) - I think that I'm a better alpaca wrangler than Jack because Jack's one kept eating and didn't do as much walking.

- Yeah but that wasn't me, that was the alpaca.

- I know but that was you.

(birds chirping) - Normally when I'm here at Jackie's it's to look after poorly animals, and it's quite nice for a change to spend a bit of time just with healthy animals having a bit of fun.

(Cosmo groans) (everyone laughs) - [Narrator] Coing up.

(Coco barks) How's new mom Coco getting on?

- The first few hours she didn't want anything to do with him.

Our struggle has been producing milk.

- [Narrator] A much loved guinea pig is in serious trouble.

- [Julian] Your right kidney's about three times as big as it should be.

- Three?

(birds chirping) - [Narrator] And Peter's getting himself a reputation.

(Peter laughs) (birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] At the surgery, Dawn and her daughter Emma are worried about two of their pets.

- We've brought in Leo and Marmalade, guinea pig.

She's been dragging her head around on the floor in the cage.

And Leo's been bleeding during the night.

He's got cancer in his nose that they picked up.

When I got up this morning I got up early to go to work and his bed was covered in blood from his rear end.

You can see tiny little lump there as well.

Well I'm hoping it's not cancer spreading about, that's what I'm worried about.

- It's not very nice at all.

It's better when they're in the cage and they're eating and sleeping and just saqueaking all the time.

- In the garden.

- And play in the garden.

Yeah, it's not nice to have to wake up and start worrying about them.

- You just do the best you can for them, give 'em the best life you can.

(soft music) - [Narrator] Eight months ago these guinea pig lovers were here with truffles.

- It was right down into her neck.

Oh I hope it's not bad.

- [Narrator] Julian sorted out Truffle's problem.

- So basically what I'm doing here is stitching the inside of the abcess to the outside of the skin.

- [Narrator] If not her looks.

(Julian laughs) - You look like a rat.

All right do you want to come through?

- [Narrator] Dawn and Emma are hoping he can do the same for Truffle's mate.

- What's happened to Marmalade then today?

- Well I've been cleaning them out and I went to put her in the cage and she's like holding her head to the side.

And when I put her in she's going around like a seal like flap.

- And her eyes are really wide aren't they?

- That's very unusual.

See when I'm moving the legs like that?

The normal response is immediately to put them back in the right position and she's not really got full control of her back legs.

Look there, she's dragging that one as well.

Marmalade what have we been doing?

I'm touching her right kidney now (Marmalade squeaks) and that's making squeak.

Feels to me like her right kidney is about three times as big as it should be.

- Three?

- And it's obviously painful 'cause when I'm pressing on that see there she's-- - And her teeth are going now.

(light music) - I think she's probably got a tumor on that kidney which obviously isn't very good.

I think probably the only thing that will be fair will be to put her down you know.

In some animals you can remove diseased kidneys but it'd be a bit of a tall order I think in a guinea pig.

(Emma sniffles) So he'll go I'll stop poking it.

So that's the thing that I would do I'm afraid.

(Emma sniffles) Sorry Marmalade, and what will Truffle's do without ya?

- I know.

- Eat all the food.

(Julian and Dawn laugh) - Do you want just five minutes or so just to say to (Julian mumbles) or, is that the best thing?

- Yes.

(light music) - All right.

It's always the worst part of the job this kinda thing, and particularly so when cases like this come kind of out of the blue, they're the worst cases really.

(door creaking) Go on mate.

- Death is part of owning animals, and it does come and it is upsetting, but it's part of it.

And if they're ill and they can't do anything about it then you have to put them down, then that's the best thing for them.

- Right, that's Marmalade asleep now, so very painless and very quick.

And really just like literally going to sleep, so that's her now out of any discomfort.

(dogs barking) (people chattering in distance) (birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] Across North Yorkshire's moors and dales (sheep bleating) babies nurtured through the summer (cows mooing) have found their feet.

(birds chirping) - No you can't attack it, you have to kiss it, that your baby's.

- [Narrator] At her house full of animals, Nicki is chief nurturer.

- Where's all the balls?

What is going on?

You lot, honestly, go.

- [Narrator] And recently she welcomed three new arrivals when Peter performed an emergency cesarean on Coco.

- I love this bit.

It's too early to say whether they're all going to survive or not.

(puppies whining) - This is a little girl who needs a name.

Yeah you like the attention.

(puppies whining) This is our only little boy.

And then this is my other little girl, you're the noisy one we know, you're noisy.

(puppy whining) Yes I know, I know.

The first few hours after we brought the babies home from cesarian she didn't want anything to do with them, which frightneed me.

So I hand fed them a couple of times.

And then the third time when they started crying I was so tired I went "nope I'm not doing it", and she went, okay I will.

Since then, bless her, she's been the most amazing mommy.

Cleans up after 'em.

(light music) She's only over protective with the other animals.

No one's allowed near them, (Coco barking) which is good, we want her to protect them.

(Coco barking) Cookie.

Her struggle has been producing milk.

Right now I'm feeding Coco her goats milk.

It increases the milk flow for her puppies, and it's good source of calcium.

(light music) Good girlie, oh you clever.

While she was pregnant she only ate Martin's six pence roast beef and sausage roll without the pastry, which obviously didn't produce a lot of calcium.

Here we go.

It is totally my fault, she's just been spoiled.

It took me a week to get round to normal dog food.

Good girl, clever girl.

And here I am hand feeding her.

But with all the goats milk she's getting and the new puppy food that she's on, she's producing more and more, and finally the pups are putting weight on.

Bit of cheese.

So ever I have to get in there well that's it, (Nicki laughs) that's it isn't it?

We don't care, you really are a princess.

Are you mommy's princess?

Are you mommy's?

Fetch Benny.

I have something with this little dog, I just wish worship the ground she walks on, I really do, I really really do.

And now she's produced three other little Coco's.

I'm gonna find the greatest homes for her babies, hopefully close to home so we can see them, that would be nice.

And then she'll just go back to being the princess she always was, living on roast beef and sausage roll.

(Nicki laughs) (puppies whining) (light music) (birds chirping) - [Narrator] Kim and Jessica keep lots of ponies at their stables in Thirsk.

(horses neighing) Recently they were worried about one of their babies.

- We've called Teeny 'cause she's so small.

I just don't want to lose her.

- [Nurse] Oh her heart rate's much better.

- [Jessica] Good.

- [Nurse] Much much better.

- I'm hoping that really with the treatment she'll just go from strength to strength.

- [Narrator] As Helen predicted, a not quite so tiny Teeny has made big progress.

- She's (Jessica mumbles) a little horror, really mischievous.

If you go near her she now just turns above and gives you a flick of the tail in the back feet, you know just playfully.

She's full of it.

She's just a normal foal now, so that's good.

(birds chirping) - [Narrator] Now Kim has problems with some of her boys.

- So you courtship now got so much testoserone that they're all wanting to fight, and so we're getting all the bits and pieces off, and hoping for quite a life.

(light music) - [Narrator] Four colts need castrating, and Kim knows there's only one man for the job.

- Jolly good, right.

Let us go and perform.

(birds chirping) (light music) This is Spot indeed.

Spots developed very nicely and grown very well.

Well everything's relative isn't it?

But he was really poorly when he was younger but he's done very well.

So well in fact that he's probably got one of the mares in foal.

So he's going to have to pay for his pleasure now.

Come and walk him steadily out now Jess.

(horse snorts) I saw a few lads walking through town like this on Sunday morning.

(Peter laughs) Just a little kip, we'll just have those testicles off and you'll be fine.

(light music) There we are Spot.

Little man with big testicles.

- Oh my god.

- Oh heavens.

- Lovely.

- I don't like it when they cut it because I don't like knives so or anything sharp.

But to be totally honest I could go in there now.

- It's all right, just go steady, there's no rush.

Ah, Spot, well done Spot.

(Peter laughs) Spot you're not hard enough anymore.

- It's a bit gruesome, but suppose it's necessary really.

- Just look at Spot now, you wouldn't think he had a care in the world would you?

- [Jessica] No.

- He's gone back to what he likes doing, eating.

I think you've had just had what Spots want, I don't think you're gonna want to tuck him into.

(Peter mumbles) - [Kim] No you wouldn't would you?

- No, right, the next contestant.

(light music) - [Narrator] It seems Peter's final patient might be his most difficult.

- Toy Boy, are you looking for trouble?

Are you gonna be a trouble causer?

I think if he was going around the pubs on a Saturday night in Thirsk I think he'd be spoiling for a fight.

- Yeah I think he would.

(Peter laughs) (birds chirping) (soft music) - [Narrator] At the surgery, Dawn and Emma have just said an emotional goodbye to their guinea pig Marmalade.

(people chattering indistinctly) - That was nice and peaceful, and she just went straight to sleep so.

- [Dawn] Thank you.

- [Narrator] Earlier they had expected bad news for their dog Leo who has cancer.

- [Julian] So what's wrong with Leo?

- Woke up this morning and his bed's full of blood.

- [Julian] All right.

- Last night he started dragging his bottom on the floor.

- All right Leo.

- He has got a little lumper on his bottom, and I'm hoping it's not cancer spreading about.

- [Julian] He's got an anal gland abcess there.

- Ah.

- So you can see there there's puss.

- Oh!

- Don't, yeah don't get too close, there look there we can see.

- Oh I won't monkey with that.

- Oh yeah.

- Normally they empty just near the side of the anus or just inside, but when they've become infected it bursts out through the skin there.

See it bubbling out there.

It's easy enough to fix with antibiotics.

And then Leo you should be like a new dog.

(light music) Leo, calm down.

- Oh he's-- - Leo!

- There we are, that's all right, you're done, you're done, you're done.

(Emma laughs) Typical Jack Russel like you don't like being fiddled with.

- Righty oh.

- Okay, so some good news and some not so good news.

- Not so good news.

(light music) - Thanks a lot Julian.

- All right, very good.

- Thank you.

- Bye.

It was Leo that we were more worried about, worried about them both, but Leo more because of the blood.

But it's just weird feelings, one put down and one's all right.

You're happy about one and very sad about the other.

- [Emma] Yes.

- You get so much pleasure out of, part of it is getting upset.

You do you wouldn't, you get upset.

- [Emma] Yes.

- We have to face these situation on a regular basis as a vet, and it never gets any easier.

- [Dawn] People say "well it's only a guinea pig."

- No no no no.

(people chattering) It's not.

- It's not.

- It's not only a guinea pig.

- [Dawn] No.

- Part of the family.

- The common sense is always is that if it's in the animals best interest then that you know overrides the sadness that comes from having to say goodbye to an animal.

- Thank you.

- Thanks a lot.

- Bye.

- [Nurse] Bye.

(door squeaks) (Dawn mumbles) (light music) (birds chirping) - [Narrator] Not far from Skeldale, Peter has just one pony left in his castration marathon.

- You can just pick him, you just pick trouble, you just know.

- [Narrator] Kim and Jessica's smallest pony Toy Boy could be his biggest challenge.

- He'd take anybody on even though he's really tiny.

- And they got little man syndrome, all of 'em.

- He's constantly pacing around looking for mares all the time.

And he is big boy of the lot.

(birds chirping) - That's it, good boy.

We joke about them, it's a shame to take the testicle, but it isn't, it's a good thing in most cases.

On most establishments you couldn't keep four or five entire stallions, they just don't get on.

(light music) I enjoy all my work, and this just seems to think quite higlhy really.

It's just how life is.

My life seems to be full of testicles, yeah, all finished.

We should have eight testicles floating about somewhere now we act.

Almost, you see they're all different, you see he's wanting to get up straight away, he's not going to sit.

He's a try-er though isn't he?

- He is.

(birds chirping) - Have we had a nice kip?

Hey have you had a nice kip Toy Boy, have you?

(Toy Boy snorts) Yes.

(Kim laughs) (light music) It has been a bit of a production line.

Now all patients are safely through the op, the ops have gone well.

So life will get much easier for Kim and the girls, they'll be much easier to manage.

(vehicle whirring) All right then, thanks a lot.

- Bye.

- Bye.

- There weren't being able to be let out because obviously they were fighting and they were a danger to anybody that might have been out.

I knew it was a good thing to do so I wasn't too worried about the operation.

No in fact I enjoyed watching it, and I was just pleased, I'm pleased that we're gonna get a life for him to get out again.

(birds chirping) (light music) - [Narrator] At the practice, every day is different.

And this afternoon tehre's a surprise delivery.

- I have a bag of kittens (woman in red shirt laughs) which was found under a hedge in a school just up the road.

The children found them.

So we've left them there all day but mommy hasn't come back and we didn't want to leave them overnight so I've brought them here.

- How many are there?

- There's five.

- Oh hey.

- I want this one.

(woman in green shirt laughing) - This one, I want this one.

Oh they're beautiful.

- Are you starving, do you need some food as well?

Do you need some food?

(kitten meowing) Shall we keep you all?

- [Woman In Red Shirt] We're gonna be covered in fleas.

- Do we really care?

No.

- [Narrator] But of course there's no chance an experienced hardened vet will be so smitten.

- Oh!

- [Narrator] With a few kittens.

(woman in purple laughs) - Oh no, the cats are now out the bag.

Look at you.

(kittens meowing) - [Narrator] Then again.

(Julian laughs) (kittens meowing) - Why don't we just have one each?

That's the cutest that one there isn't it?

- Yeah I think I love this one.

- You are so cute, yes you are.

- Yeah but not as cute as mine.

(light music) Should we line them up in order of cute?

The gray ones might be the cutest.

(kittens meowing) I think that's cuter than that.

- I love it.

- That's definitely the cutest.

- No, see I think that one's the cutest.

- Oh you think maybe that's the cutest?

- All white.

(kittens meowing) - [Woman With Brown Hair] This is like the best day ever.

(woman laughs) - We can't put them back in the field can we?

That seems the wrong thing to do.

- No.

- I don't want to go auntie Sylvia, I don't want to go.

Look, I don't want to go.

(kittens meowing) - The sensible thing to do is just take one each home.

- We should just all take them home yeah.

(woman in purple shirt laughs) - [Woman In Purple Shirt] Like how that's the sensible suggestion.

- That's the only sensislbe option.

- [Woman With Brown Hair] We're going to keep them for a little bit.

- Oh good.

- And if anyone would like to take one home then feel free.

- I think the surgery needs a cat.

(phone ringing) - I'm gonna take a picture of you and see what the rest of the family think.

(kittens meowing) - Oh it looks like a gremlin.

(people laughing) (kitten meowing) (people laughing) (light music) (birds chirping) (cows mooing) - [Narrator] Last week Julian was called to this farm at three in the morning.

(metal clinking) It was anything but a straight forward birth.

- Come on calf, take a breath.

- [Narrator] For farmer Richard's heifer moo baloo.

- Don't get me started, I'm not.

(Julian mumbles) - [Narrator] After all the hullabaloo, mom and baby have enjoyed a few relaxing days together.

(triumphant music) (cows mooing) - All right.

There you are.

(cow mooing) It always happens early hours (Richard laughs) when things go wrong.

I was really tense, you do your best and end of day and still lose a calf.

Last drop.

You only have so long, you are to get 'em calved in.

They come right and I'm just quite a lad, not lad but pensioner, and I just love what I do.

I've never been far in me life but I'm happy here.

(cows mooing) Me wife like traveling, she travels about, but I always have cows to milking.

(Richard laughs) Calf's gonna be all right.

See now and I'm pleased.

I was worried that he'd be born dead, but he's a top vet is Julian.

And we did all right.

(chickens cooing) (cows mooing) (uplifting music) - [Narrator] Next time, winter arrives.

(Peter groans) Will Peter make it to a remote farm?

- In Harriet's day he used to carry a shovel in his boot.

- You're the smartest whippet in North Yorkshire.

- [Narrator] Can Julian save Smudgies leg?

- It's a pretty bad fracture actually.

Just have strength.

- [Narrator] And (cat meowing) will this lost cat find his way home?

- Chap like this has got to belong to somebody hasn't he?

- He's very posh looking.

- He's not your typical moggy is he?