- 1 week ago
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00:01Wait for the doctor. The doggy doctor.
00:06Professor Noel Fitzpatrick
00:08All right, Mrs. Cuddlemonster incoming.
00:12is the super vet.
00:13We have issues.
00:15I knew I should have got two hours.
00:17at his unique vet practice, he merges mechanics and biology.
00:21That's the point of no return now.
00:24Don't be pulling apart my repair, Mrs.
00:26to heal the nation's pets.
00:28Sorry about coronavirus.
00:30Oh, because you're responsible?
00:31I'm responsible for almost everything else.
00:34Even in the darkest days...
00:37Worst thing ever.
00:38Noel imagines the impossible.
00:41Oh, my little baby gives leg.
00:44It's gone.
00:46Sometimes you have to bend the rules of mechanics to fit the biology.
00:50..and offers hope.
00:51We've definitely made the right decision.
00:53Good boy. We've got my boy back.
00:56For families and their friends.
00:59Look at you!
01:00Why don't you doggo?
01:13It was the months before Christmas
01:15when all through the house
01:17not a creature was stirring.
01:21Not even a mouse.
01:27Christmas at Fitzpatrick's is like your second family.
01:31Good for the client.
01:32The festive vibe here is really great.
01:36I've never actually worked anywhere that's quite like it.
01:38Merry Christmas, Nala.
01:42There's a lot of singing to the patients
01:44and also we'll try and make their kennels a bit festive.
01:48Oh, how do you like it?
01:49We try and make the practice a home away from home
01:52for them during Christmas time.
01:54This year, I do think that Christmas will be slightly different
01:59but because it's been such a rough year
02:01I think everyone's going to come together even more so
02:03and make this one heck for Christmas.
02:08So, Christmas, bring it on.
02:12This year, it's not just Santa
02:16who's making a special appearance.
02:18There's been a number of famous faces at the practice, too.
02:26Teddy, it's not your house.
02:29You don't need to bark.
02:30To animals, we are all equal
02:32regardless of whether you're in the public eye or not.
02:36Lee, our job is to get a quality of life for all patients
02:40and get them home for Christmas.
02:43Do you need a poo?
02:44Good. No, I know you don't want to go, do you?
02:47Come on, come on.
02:48Bye.
02:49Come on.
02:50When he doesn't want to move.
02:52It's July and four-year-old Mastiff Cross Domino
02:55is enjoying giving his famous dad the runaround.
03:00Round.
03:01Round.
03:03Sit.
03:04Sit.
03:05Oh, that's good.
03:08I've come here for facial surgery on my nose.
03:12It's been too long.
03:14No, I've come here to bring this boy, Domino,
03:18he's got something going on with his back right, possibly metatarsal.
03:25I mean, I talk as if I know what I'm talking about.
03:27I don't have a clue, really.
03:28Look at his face.
03:31Good yawn.
03:32TV dog.
03:33Tomino.
03:33I guess we've just always been a bit crazy about animals.
03:48Because I don't have children, and I'm single, the dogs are literally like my family.
03:58Lie down.
03:59I mean, I'm clearly like the bottom of the pack.
04:04Um, just trod on, you know, fed scraps.
04:09Okay, take the car.
04:12Oh, you're slobbing on me as well.
04:13Yes.
04:14But I wouldn't have it any other way.
04:15Yes.
04:16Animals have constantly have empathy.
04:20Hello, Esme.
04:21When I got Esme, I became very ill.
04:24I mean, I had a breakdown.
04:26What?
04:26What?
04:27There.
04:28When I couldn't leave the bed for days, and, you know, wouldn't eat for days,
04:32and she would just sort of be there.
04:34They just provide something special.
04:37They're very magical.
04:38I mean, she's probably emotionally scarred.
04:40Earlier this year, on a visit to the States, Will's canine family doubled in size.
04:48I saw these two dogs, Domino and Diamond.
04:53They were found very malnourished, and I think they were about an hour away from being put down.
05:00Unfortunately, Domino was in need of more than just a new home.
05:04What I was told was that Domino had a problem with his metatarsal and was needing an operation.
05:10You couldn't run him, and he would limp.
05:13But then the virus happened, and I just thought, I can't leave these dogs like that.
05:19I don't think anyone's ever going to adopt them.
05:21And it was game over, really, after that.
05:24Domino.
05:25Oh, you're so scary.
05:27People cross the road because he's so big, but he is literally the biggest baby.
05:32I mean, he follows me everywhere.
05:34Diamond's much naughtier.
05:36She's a bossy woman.
05:37Not the women are bossy.
05:38I just want to put that straight right now.
05:42They just want to love people, and they just want to be loved, and they give it unconditionally.
05:47So I'm going to give a lot to them, whatever's necessary.
05:53You know, that's my duty.
05:55So that's what I'll do.
05:57Unsure how long Domino has been in pain and desperate to help him, Will and his goddaughter Eve have brought the gentle giant to see Noel.
06:09Good morning, by the way.
06:12Good morning, how are you?
06:13Now, have we spoken before?
06:16Yes.
06:16Have you?
06:18Yes.
06:19Where did you come to?
06:21Was I good?
06:22Yes, you were young.
06:22Oh, thank God.
06:23Thank God for that.
06:25Don, are you a Will Young fan?
06:27Yes, I am.
06:28This is the first person I've been starstruck with.
06:31Is that right?
06:32Yeah.
06:32All right, off you go.
06:35Mom, good boy.
06:36Whilst he was in America, Will was told that Domino's painful limp may be caused by a foot injury.
06:42I just want to watch the walking up and down, please.
06:45But Noel needs to examine the four-year-old himself.
06:48Okay, good, good.
06:50Okay, stop there, please.
06:53So just hold his head for us, please.
06:56Hold tight.
06:57Good boy.
06:59Oh, I know.
07:01That hurts, doesn't it?
07:02Oh.
07:02Oh, dear.
07:05Good boy.
07:06So, at the moment, I'm not buying the metatarsal theory.
07:10Yeah.
07:10I can't feel anything unusual there.
07:14However.
07:15That bit?
07:16Yeah.
07:17See that?
07:18Yeah.
07:19Shouldn't do that.
07:19Okay.
07:20Shouldn't move like that.
07:21Yeah.
07:21And what's that telling you, then?
07:23That's telling me that he's probably ruptured his cranial cruciate ligament, which is one of the two ligaments inside the knee.
07:30And how would he have done that?
07:32So it's believed that there may be a genetic basis to it, whereby inflammation builds up inside the knee.
07:38Yeah.
07:39And gradually the ligament frays like a shoelace.
07:43Oh, dear, Mr. Man.
07:46Have you ever noticed any front leg lameness?
07:48No.
07:49I've actually noticed it with her, funnily enough.
07:51Oh, you have?
07:51Oh, dear.
07:53Yeah.
07:53Oh, are you springing another surprise?
07:55Yeah, I'm not.
07:55Oh, is this like this?
07:57No, no, no.
07:58I'm not doing two for one.
07:59Oh, no, no, I know exactly what you're doing.
08:01This is the Gareth Gates and this is the Will Young.
08:03Come and say, I know exactly what he's doing.
08:05She could be the Darius.
08:06She could be the Darius.
08:09She could be.
08:13Now, in the past, what we would have done is try to replace the ligament, but we now know
08:19that in very large breed dogs like this, that doesn't work too well.
08:23Yeah.
08:24So what can you do then?
08:25Right.
08:26We make a curved cut in the top of the tibia and we rock the top of the tibia around and
08:34then we put a plate on it, which looks something like that, which is called a T-P-L-O.
08:42T-P-L-O.
08:44Tibial, plateau, levelling, osteotomy.
08:47And there can still be movement.
08:49Yes, but it doesn't slip.
08:52Now, the possible complications are, one, mechanical failure, two, infection, and number three, osteoarthritis
09:00is inevitable.
09:03Now, that other dog's worrying me.
09:05Diamond.
09:06Right.
09:07The other thing that these kinds of breeds are predisposed to is osteoarthritis of the
09:11elbows.
09:12Ah, OK.
09:13So what I suggest we do is ping off a couple of x-ray pictures of her elbows, if you want.
09:18Yeah.
09:18Then I'll know either way.
09:19I wasn't going to mention her, actually.
09:21Promise.
09:22Please, God, she doesn't have anything, but I'll have to check it out.
09:25These dogs.
09:26I know you've just...
09:26Why do we...
09:27Well, it's love.
09:29Off we go, guys.
09:30OK, see you.
09:32Bye.
09:36Domino will have x-ray pictures taken to determine if he has ruptured a ligament inside his knee.
09:44Meanwhile, his sister Diamond is getting an unexpected turn in the CT scanner to give Noel
09:50a clearer picture of any possible problems with her elbows.
09:58I'm reviewing all the images now for Domino and for Diamond.
10:05It's not looking good, unfortunately.
10:10Now 7.30 in the evening...
10:13Hello.
10:16It's very quiet.
10:17Will has returned to get the results.
10:22Now, I know you've spent the afternoon worrying.
10:25Um, we have issues.
10:28It's not that they're not treatable, but it's probably more than you'd hope for.
10:32Oh, right, OK.
10:34Oh, my gosh, look at this.
10:35Is this...
10:36Is this for Mr Man, Domino?
10:38Yes, this is for Domino, yeah.
10:40That grey is fluid building up inside the joint because of inflammation.
10:45That is degenerating, unfortunately, both knees.
10:50Oh, both his knees?
10:52Yes.
10:52Now, the one which has got most of the problems is the right hind.
10:57But unfortunately, it is likely I'm going to be seeing you again with the left one going in the future.
11:03Oh, gosh, poor chap.
11:05I'm going to move on to Diamond.
11:07OK.
11:08And it transpires that the left elbow does, in fact, have osteoarthritis already.
11:16And what we can see, the ulna's cracked.
11:20Oh, gosh.
11:21So she must be in pain as well.
11:23Sadly, she's in more pain than he is.
11:25Gosh, and how's she running?
11:27And she still runs?
11:28She's just never known life any different.
11:30Really?
11:32Oh, blimey.
11:33Gosh, it's quite a lot to take in.
11:36Yes, it is.
11:37The bottom line is that we need to have a think about doing a TPLO on the right knee for Domino
11:43and an arthroscopy of both elbows for Diamond.
11:48Yes.
11:48Let me just see, they might be here with the doggies.
11:51Oh.
11:51One sec, we'll see.
11:53My babies.
11:54I knew I should have got chihuahuas.
11:57Now, here we go.
11:58Oh, you've got a thingy.
12:01Yeah.
12:03Having already been through so much...
12:05Newly vacuumed car.
12:08Domino and Diamond now face at least two major surgeries.
12:13I'm a pop star.
12:14Should have people doing this for me.
12:15But it may be Will's only hope to give his adopted American family the future they deserve.
12:23I love you.
12:35It's 167 days till Christmas.
12:38We're not going to be able to defrost Buble together.
12:41Defrost Buble?
12:42No, because you know, like, we start singing Christmas songs in October.
12:45Oh, yeah.
12:46Same with Leona Lewis, isn't it?
12:48What?
12:50She hasn't brought out a single please.
12:52No, Mariah Carey, I think it was.
13:01Morning.
13:02Morning.
13:03It's been two weeks since pop star Will Young found out that his dogs Domino and Diamond
13:09may both need life-changing surgery may both need life-changing surgery.
13:13Come on, Mr. Man.
13:15And he's lost a bit of weight.
13:17He's doing it well.
13:18About two grams.
13:20Don't you think he's lost weight?
13:21I think he's...
13:22Today, hefty but harmless Domino is being dropped off for his operation.
13:27I feel a little bit empty.
13:31I'm a bit like, there's nothing I can do.
13:34Do you know what I mean?
13:35That's the thing.
13:37I think, like everything, you just...
13:40There's no point worrying.
13:41It's not going to make any difference.
13:43It's all about trust.
13:44And I do trust Noel and his team.
13:48He's been a really good boy.
13:51Noel is going to attempt to level off the joint surface of Domino's tibia
13:55to stop his femur from slipping.
13:57We're going to make a curved cut in the top of the tibia.
14:04Having removed the torn ligament and inspected the cartilage,
14:08Noel cuts the bone at a precise position.
14:12I'm going to rotate that cut 6.6 millimetres
14:16so that the femur doesn't slip down the tibia anymore.
14:22In its new non-slip alignment,
14:24Noel inserts a plate to secure the bone segments.
14:32Hopefully, with this, we'll give him a new lease of life without pain.
14:37The only problem is I think the other knee's going to need surgery
14:41in the not-too-distant future.
14:43Well done, Domino. Good job.
14:47Domino will need six weeks' recovery before his knee is fully healed.
14:51But it's just halfway through the journey for Will.
14:57One operation down and one dog to go.
15:12Willow.
15:12Willow, don't, don't, don't.
15:13It's lunchtime, and the spotlight is on an emergency case
15:19that has just arrived at the practice.
15:23It's going to be OK, Missy.
15:24Yeah.
15:25Let's see what's going on.
15:28It's going to be OK.
15:30Well used to attracting attention,
15:32three-year-old French bulldog Willow
15:34lives with Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon,
15:38supermodel Yasmin, and their family.
15:40She's bonkers, really.
15:43We all call her, like, she's the crazy dog.
15:45She is a handful, and her job is to get the squirrels and the foxes,
15:49and she is ballistic.
15:52She's like a missile.
15:53She's a bit like a wrecking ball, actually.
15:54She is a bit of a wrecking ball.
15:56Yeah.
15:56Yeah.
15:58Sadly, it looks like the high-energy Frenchie
16:01may have crashed and burned.
16:03We found her in the garden the other night,
16:07absolutely shaking and unable to move.
16:11I think she may have fallen.
16:14And I know that with, you know, with backs and spines,
16:17you know, you've just got to be quick.
16:18You can't take any chances.
16:21I thought of...
16:22..of spinal surgery.
16:25I don't know.
16:28I don't really want to think about it, actually.
16:29Yasmin.
16:33Hi.
16:33Hi.
16:34Go right ahead, girls.
16:36OK.
16:36We're going to the room on the left right there.
16:39OK.
16:39There we go.
16:41Now then, so tell me.
16:45Monday night, she was shaking in the garden.
16:46Monday evening in the garden.
16:48Right.
16:49And she was not moving properly.
16:52OK.
16:53On all four legs or just the back legs?
16:56The back legs.
16:57OK, fine.
16:58Yeah.
16:58By the evening, she was really showing difficulty.
17:02And my brother-in-law is an osteopath.
17:04Gave her a little treatment.
17:06Simon's brother?
17:07Yeah.
17:07Oh, is he an osteopath?
17:08Yeah, he's a really good one.
17:09Is that right?
17:10Yeah, for years he's had.
17:11I mean, thank God we've got an osteopath in the family.
17:12Kept him jumping around on the stage.
17:14Kept him amusing people like me.
17:16I'm a big fan, by the way.
17:17Oh, thank you.
17:18And so, yes, yeah.
17:20So, Lauren's going to hold her,
17:22and I'm just going to do a few little checks.
17:24Yeah.
17:24So, mommy, you can talk to her head end.
17:26Yeah.
17:27Perfect.
17:27Good.
17:27OK, all righty.
17:29Talk to her, please.
17:30Yes, you go.
17:32Yes, I go.
17:32OK, so you see this, Yasmin, here?
17:34Look.
17:35Yeah.
17:36Her brain doesn't know where that is.
17:38She's doing it on her other foot.
17:39Yeah, yes.
17:40The reason for that is an interruption in the flow of the spinal cord.
17:46OK.
17:47Now, that's something.
17:49It could be an accident, but it's more likely to be a disc problem based on the breed.
17:59Really?
17:59OK.
18:00It's all right, Boop.
18:01I got you.
18:02Thank you, Lauren.
18:02You can move the table.
18:03All right, Boop.
18:04You're OK.
18:05All right.
18:05Bottom line is that is a surgical emergency if the dog is going from grade three to grade
18:12four, which it is now.
18:13Zero is normal.
18:14Five is totally paralyzed on the back end.
18:18I'm sorry.
18:19I know.
18:19I know it's heartbreaking, but...
18:22Told you when you fall.
18:24Yeah.
18:25Sorry.
18:26Don't beat yourself up.
18:27I feel for her.
18:29This is...
18:29Yeah.
18:30A sudden pop can happen because of degeneration in the disc itself.
18:34So, most likely...
18:35You're like one of the family.
18:37We've all got bloody back problems in our family, honestly.
18:40Me too.
18:41Unfortunately, it's genetic in the Le Bon family, the Fitzpatrick family, and this doggie's
18:47family.
18:47It is her.
18:49Do you want to give her a cuddle?
18:50Because we're going to take her through in a moment.
18:52Come on, you.
18:53Come on.
18:54Come on.
18:55You're going to be all right.
18:56All right.
18:56You're going to be all right.
18:57I love you.
18:59OK.
19:00Thank you, Lauren.
19:02Take care.
19:03Cheers.
19:03I'm still in shock, actually.
19:09The idea of having a degenerative disease like that, and a dog so young.
19:15She's just so full of energy.
19:19She must be really suffering.
19:22I just want her to have a good quality of life.
19:24Yeah.
19:24It's the most important thing.
19:26Yeah.
19:26Because she's still so young.
19:28Come on, little Willow.
19:33Good girl.
19:35Good girl.
19:37An MRI scan will confirm if three-year-old Willow does have a damaged disc in her back, and if
19:45surgery could help.
19:46Hello.
19:53Hey, it's Noel here.
19:55Hi.
19:55Hi, Noel.
19:56Now then, it is exactly as I expected.
19:59It's a very large volume, acute disc extrusion, in the middle of the lower back.
20:07Right.
20:10I just, I don't know what to do.
20:12Well, um...
20:14I really, I really don't, and you wouldn't believe this, but my pug today, he's been wobbly
20:19for a while.
20:20Oh, my goodness.
20:21He's just refused to walk.
20:23He can't walk.
20:24What?
20:25His back legs just won't go.
20:27I mean, he's 12, but they just won't go.
20:30What?
20:30Like now?
20:31Yeah.
20:32No, and he, he, he, his bladder is completely full.
20:36He can't weep.
20:37Oh, my God.
20:39That's lightning struck twice in 24 hours.
20:43I mean, that's a nightmare.
20:46What's the other dog's name?
20:48Luigi.
20:49And he's 12?
20:51Yeah, he...
20:53OK, my advice to you is, providing your vets are happy with it, just come straight away.
21:01OK.
21:02Bye.
21:05Whilst the team prep Willow for spinal surgery, Yasmin will drive poorly pug Luigi to the practice.
21:13It's just utterly bizarre that Yasmin's other dog, Luigi, has gone off his legs this afternoon
21:19as well.
21:20But I can't afford to think about that right now.
21:23I've got to fix Willow first.
21:26Willow's scan shows that a degenerate disc has leaked, and the material is pressing on
21:31her spinal cord.
21:33The Le Bon's want Noel to operate, rather than risk paralysis.
21:38OK, so we're going to get on the right-hand side of the spine here.
21:41I'm just putting my finger in to feel exactly where I am.
21:44L1, T13.
21:52Having located the right spot, Noel cuts a window in the vertebra to access the leaked
21:57disc material.
21:59So that there is disc material, right there.
22:03Using a blunt-edged tool, Noel carefully scrapes away the exploded disc.
22:17OK, good.
22:18That disc is now clear.
22:20The spinal cord is fully freed up.
22:23There's no compression.
22:24The spinal cord also doesn't look too bruised.
22:27You can never tell for sure, but I think Willow should do well.
22:31OK, that's really fine.
22:34You wonder there.
22:38Now, Willow, we're going to have to see your brother now.
22:41Unbelievable.
22:44Thanks, everybody.
22:50It's always been a dramatic hug, haven't you?
22:54Willow may be out of immediate danger.
22:57It's OK, it's OK, it's OK, don't try and stand up.
22:59But it's the Le Bon's other dog, Luigi, who is now the concern.
23:04It's OK, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, sweetheart, all right.
23:15This day is just getting worse and worse.
23:19Our darling pug, Luigi, who's, you know, no spring chicken, but, you know, we just kind
23:24think, oh, it's just old Luigi, you know, if you put a bit of ham in front of you or mention
23:28sausages, it'll be off.
23:30Yeah.
23:31And I went back this afternoon and I could not get this dog to get up.
23:35And I thought, no, this is ridiculous.
23:37This can't be happening.
23:38So, here we are, again.
23:45What's wrong with our family?
23:47Same thing as this morning, please.
23:49We'll just have you talk to him up here.
23:53All right, big guy.
23:57He's slow on the left hind.
23:59Man, it's in exactly the same area as Willow.
24:26What's going on?
24:29This is not, um, what's going, what's happening?
24:35All right, I don't know what's going on in your house, but that's the weirdest thing I've
24:39ever seen.
24:40All right, um, I've just operated on Willow.
24:43The good news is it went well.
24:45The ethical dilemma with Willow is a lot different than the ethical dilemma with this
24:49dog because of the age of this dog.
24:51Yeah.
24:54And whether it's morally and ethically right to put this dog through surgery.
24:59So, look, I'm just going to be frank with you.
25:01I think that we're going to end up putting him to sleep if we don't scan him because he's
25:06going to get worse by the rate at which he's going downhill.
25:09And I think that you're going to lose him, unfortunately, and I'm very sorry to say that.
25:16I can't have him be in pain.
25:19I'm really sorry.
25:21I'm really sorry.
25:22I'm sorry.
25:27So, I'll give you a couple of minutes, okay?
25:30We'll just go and see how Willow is.
25:35Are we ready for all hands on deck?
25:38They're trying to make the decision now.
25:39Maybe it's his time.
26:04He's had the best life.
26:09He said he's had a great time.
26:12We also know that he can be a strong dog.
26:18You think we've got to give it a chance, then, won't we?
26:21Yeah.
26:23I'm sorry, girls.
26:25What do you want me to do?
26:27Well, I think, let's scan him.
26:29Okay.
26:29Yeah.
26:30I would do anything to save this dog.
26:34He's such a huge part of our family.
26:46I have to be careful.
26:48Now, I'm going to pick you up, buddy.
26:50I know you're painful.
26:51I know you're painful.
26:51I know you're painful.
26:52I've got my heart, boy.
27:04Okay, let's go.
27:07Despite being late at night, Luigi will have an MRI scan.
27:12Hello, little friend.
27:13All right, Luigi.
27:14He's 12.
27:16His bladder's full and he's in a lot of pain.
27:18If the scans reveal an exploded disc like Willow's,
27:23the family could face yet more major surgery
27:26for another of their beloved dogs.
27:28I love Christmas, Mario.
27:44It's my favorite period of the year.
27:46I love Secret Santa.
27:48If I will have to do your present, I already know what to do.
27:53What?
27:53I can't tell you.
27:57You're straight, isn't it?
27:59Oh, no.
28:00It's amazing.
28:01Oh, Mario, I love Christmas so much.
28:05Oh, my God.
28:09I'm going to spoil him so much.
28:13He can have sausages for breakfast.
28:15Yasmin and Saffron Le Bon are waiting for the results
28:22of 12-year-old pug Luigi's spinal scan
28:25after he collapsed earlier this evening.
28:28The bottom line is that he has multiple discs
28:32that are dried out in his back
28:33and it's not as straightforward as Willow.
28:38At the lumbosacral junction,
28:41which is right down here at the very base,
28:43that disc is dramatically bulging and causing sciatica.
28:50That's why he was squealing.
28:53The problem with his clinical science is
28:56it's very unusual to have a knuckle that doesn't come back
29:01with just a lower motor neuron problem,
29:04which is the sciatic nerve.
29:05So I suspect there's two problems.
29:07So I'm going to give permission for him to be woken up
29:12because we all need to just take a step back here
29:15and see what the clinical signs are tomorrow.
29:20It does not require surgery tonight.
29:24OK?
29:25Don't worry about his pain.
29:28You're in a good place for happy drugs.
29:31So we'll take care of that.
29:32You want him to get the A class?
29:34We'll give him all of the A class.
29:36Class A's.
29:36Class A's.
29:37He'll have it tonight.
29:43I'm a bit shell-shocked, really.
29:47You know, you think you know what's going on,
29:49and that you love and know,
29:51and you can read signals with your animals,
29:53and I just thought he was just, you know,
29:56just getting stiff and old and being a bit lazy,
30:00but I never really imagined what was going on.
30:06If there's a possibility we can make his life better,
30:11then at the moment that's what I would want to do.
30:15Yeah.
30:17I would.
30:19Yeah.
30:24She needs to drive me home.
30:26Now, mate, good boy.
30:38Good boy.
30:39We're going for a pee, mate.
30:40Yeah.
30:41You're such a good boy, Domino.
30:43Big, softy, Domino is taking his first tentative steps
30:48since the operation that repositioned his knee.
30:52So, Domino is two days post-surgery now.
30:55He's doing great.
30:55He's walking pretty good already on the leg,
30:59which is wonderful.
31:01You know what's really remarkable, though,
31:03is that he was just hours away from death
31:06when Will rescued him,
31:07and to see the life that's in him now...
31:10Yes, mate, I love you too.
31:13It's remarkable.
31:14Shall we go for a walk?
31:15Oh, yeah, let's do it.
31:17With Domino's recovery going well...
31:20Come on, Ben.
31:21It's very exciting.
31:22He will be allowed home.
31:24Hey, buddy, how are you?
31:26Come on, Diamond.
31:27Hello, sweetie pie.
31:29How are you doing?
31:30Good girl.
31:31But whilst her big brother is on the road to recovery,
31:34Diamond is only just starting her journey.
31:37Now, it's a dog exchange day today, isn't it?
31:40Yes.
31:40Let's get her through.
31:42Come on, sweetie.
31:43Later this afternoon,
31:44she will have an arthroscopic investigation
31:46to check how bad the erosion and osteoarthritis
31:50is affecting her elbows.
31:52One out and then one in.
31:55Oh, my God.
31:56Hello.
31:58Meanwhile, Domino can leave right now.
32:00There you go.
32:02On y va.
32:03On y va.
32:04There we go.
32:06He'll need six weeks of cage rest,
32:08but will hopefully be signed off for Christmas.
32:10The biggest task that lies ahead is his rehab.
32:15To be honest, it's probably the best time
32:18because all my, you know, I should be on tour now.
32:21So there's always a, you know, silver lining.
32:25I lost all my work and thought, oh, gosh,
32:27but then I met these two and, you know,
32:30I get to properly help them.
32:31And so this is all obviously meant to be.
32:38When Will came to see me with Domino,
32:40he had no idea that Diamond might need treatment as well.
32:44Ginger, come on.
32:46Come on, baby.
32:47So for Yasmin to have Willow operated on
32:50and then Luigi to go down with a spinal problem
32:52that same day was bizarre, unbelievable.
32:55He doesn't have pseudo-hyperflexia, does he?
32:59No, no, no, he doesn't.
33:00In Luigi's case, his symptoms are unusual.
33:04The sciatic nerves are so squished
33:06by the degenerate bulging disc
33:09that not only is he in significant pain,
33:11but also the input and output signals
33:14from those nerves are impaired,
33:16so his back legs are weak.
33:18And that's quite uncommon.
33:20Unfortunately, medicine is unlikely
33:22to deal with this problem.
33:24So, sadly, the family are probably going to need
33:27to consider operating yet again
33:31on another one of their friends.
33:36Can you imagine having two dogs,
33:39both of them in the same day?
33:41Having been given the go-ahead for surgery...
33:44I can't believe it.
33:46It's the worst.
33:47It's incredible.
33:49Noel will operate on 12-year-old pug Luigi
33:52in the hope of getting him out of pain
33:54and back to his sausage-eating self.
33:59All right, here we go.
34:03Man, these nerves are like five times the size
34:06they should be up here.
34:08Poor Luigi.
34:09This has been going on for ages.
34:10A bulging disc has been crushing the nerves
34:14at the base of Luigi's spine
34:16that lead to his back legs.
34:19Just trying to scrape the disc out now
34:21underneath those nerves,
34:24removing the bulge.
34:27Pins and cement will fuse Luigi's vertebrae in position
34:31and give the nerves more room.
34:35So I'm looking at the CT scan
34:36and trying to judge where I'm going to put the pin.
34:38It's like operating multiple chopsticks with the same hand.
34:58With 14 pins now in place...
35:00I'm going to put some collagen
35:03to protect the nerves.
35:06Noel can pour in the cement.
35:09Past the point of no return now.
35:16OK, so we're going to go to CT now
35:18and hopefully all the pins will be in the right spot.
35:20And if we're lucky,
35:22hopefully, Luigi will be out of pain.
35:24OK.
35:24I haven't eaten all day.
35:32I'm hungry like the wolf.
35:45The CT scan shows that the pins are in the correct place.
35:49But it will be a few days before it's clear
35:52if the operation has worked
35:53and if Luigi will walk properly again.
35:57This way.
36:09Come on in.
36:10It's Christmas.
36:12It's Christmas.
36:13You've got all the presents.
36:16Good boy.
36:17Good boy.
36:21Will and his pack are back at Fitzpatrick's.
36:24I feel like I pretty much work at this place.
36:29Put it this way,
36:30I don't need to put the address in the sat-nav anymore.
36:33I know where I'm going.
36:34And that's a sign, isn't it?
36:36Come on.
36:38Domino's recovery is going well.
36:41But his little sister Diamond's arthroscopy
36:43showed severe erosion on the inner half of the left elbow.
36:47And Noel has recommended an innovative surgery.
36:51What I'm going to try and do
36:52is alleviate the pain associated
36:56with rubbing of the humerus on the ulna.
36:58So what's going to happen today
36:59is that I am going to perform
37:03a sliding humeral osteotomy.
37:06And it's going to move
37:07the upper part of the humerus over
37:10so that the weight is preferentially borne
37:12on the good half of the joint.
37:15Yeah.
37:15And we do that nowadays
37:17with a custom plate
37:19which we have custom made
37:21for your friend.
37:23Look at that.
37:24Look at that.
37:24Now that...
37:25Now that is for you,
37:28but not in your mouth.
37:29Please don't believe
37:31that I'm curing her arthritis.
37:33Nobody can do that
37:35or they win a Nobel Prize.
37:36What I'm doing is
37:38I'm alleviating pain
37:39and I'm giving that part of the joint
37:41a chance to recover.
37:43Exactly.
37:43Any questions?
37:44No.
37:45I'm happy she's here.
37:46I'm happy she's here too.
37:49Animals can unblock our hearts
37:52and our minds
37:52with empathy,
37:54with unconditional love
37:55and with loyalty.
37:56Domino and Diamond
38:00have helped Will to heal
38:02and now Will is helping them.
38:05It's a fantastic example
38:07of dog being man's best friend
38:10and man being dog's best friend.
38:13It doesn't get any better than that.
38:26Anyway, what are you going to do
38:33for Christmas then?
38:34I have no idea.
38:36Not yet.
38:38No, we will definitely travel to Italy
38:40even if I have to...
38:42I can go in a balloon.
38:44You could, but...
38:46You're going to shoot me down.
38:47I will, yes.
38:52Whilst Domino makes good progress at home,
38:55Will Young's All-American Girl Diamond
38:57is being prepped
38:59for advanced elbow surgery.
39:02So we're going to operate on Diamond now
39:04to try and unload the painful area
39:06of the elbow
39:07where the humerus has rubbed away
39:08against the ulna.
39:13Stapler, please.
39:15Diamond's cartilage has worn away
39:17on the inside of her elbow joint
39:19where her humerus and ulna bones
39:20have a poor fit.
39:23Noel is going to attach
39:25a custom-made plate
39:26to the inside of the humerus.
39:29Then he'll cut through
39:30the middle of the bone.
39:32Non-locking screws
39:33will slide the bottom half
39:34towards the plate.
39:36These are replaced
39:37with locking screws sequentially.
39:40Diamond's weight
39:41will then be transferred
39:41away from the painful erosion
39:43to the healthier outside
39:44of the joint.
39:46So this stepped plate
39:47is specially contoured
39:48for this bone.
39:49We pop it in like so.
39:50Noel fixes the plate
40:02to both top
40:02and bottom halves
40:03of the humerus.
40:07Go.
40:10He then cuts through
40:11the bone.
40:14Relax.
40:15Okay, we've cut the bone
40:17in half now
40:18right next to the step.
40:22What we're going to do next
40:23is move
40:25the bottom half
40:26up towards the plate
40:28which pushes
40:29the top half
40:30outwards.
40:34With the bone
40:35in the new position,
40:36Noel inserts
40:37the final locking screws.
40:40Give me the graft, please.
40:42Bone marrow harvested
40:43from the top
40:43of the humerus
40:44is packed into the step
40:46to help the bone
40:47to heal.
40:53Now we stitch
40:54everything up.
40:59It may have been
41:00a rough few years
41:01for Diamond
41:01but she will now
41:03be in with a chance
41:04of a bright
41:04and shiny future.
41:13Well done, Luigi.
41:15Oh, look at you go.
41:17Look at you go.
41:18Good boy.
41:19Good boy.
41:21Yay.
41:22In the kennels,
41:2412-year-old pug Luigi
41:25is making good progress
41:27after his spinal surgery.
41:29There is nothing
41:30that Luigi won't do
41:32for a sausage.
41:34You want that, mate?
41:35There you go.
41:36Oh, yeah.
41:37Oh, yeah.
41:38That is the essence
41:40of a pug's
41:42quality of life.
41:46Luigi may have
41:47his appetite back
41:48but wrecking ball
41:49Willow
41:50has already
41:50been discharged
41:51and has been
41:52strutting her stuff
41:53on the dog walk.
41:55I walk her
41:56three or four times
41:57a day
41:57and she's getting
41:58stronger every day.
42:00She really is.
42:02Today,
42:02Willow has returned
42:03to escort
42:04best friend Luigi
42:05home.
42:06That's if he wants
42:07to leave.
42:08Noel has been
42:09hand-feeding him
42:10chicken pate.
42:12I'm a little bit
42:13upset about it,
42:14I'll be honest.
42:15We give him cucumber,
42:17iceberg lettuce
42:18he loves.
42:19Here,
42:20he's being hand-fed
42:21chicken pate.
42:22He's not going
42:23to want to come home.
42:25So this is what
42:26you do.
42:28See,
42:29he's walking
42:29really well.
42:30Oh, my God,
42:30yeah.
42:32Oh, look at that.
42:33So he's in great shape.
42:34Look at that.
42:35That's amazing.
42:36Oh, my gosh.
42:37Hopefully I can
42:38sign him off
42:38for Christmas.
42:39Oh.
42:41I didn't expect
42:42him to be walking
42:43that well.
42:43I have to say,
42:44that's amazing.
42:45It never ceases
42:46to amaze me,
42:47even in a dog
42:48this age,
42:49how they bounce
42:50back and they're like...
42:50We were really close
42:51to saying goodbye.
42:53But, I mean,
42:54look at him.
42:55It's amazing.
42:56There's a lot more
42:57love and time.
42:58Yeah, yeah,
42:59a lot more sausages
42:59in the world, mate.
43:00There really are.
43:01It's mad to think
43:05that we came here
43:06with two dogs
43:06that couldn't walk
43:08and we're going home
43:10with two dogs
43:10that can walk,
43:12which is absolutely
43:13mind-blowing.
43:15What's going on here?
43:17Yeah?
43:18We've got presents.
43:18Are there presents?
43:19Yes, we've got presents.
43:20Come on, girl.
43:22Come on, girl.
43:22It's been a challenging year.
43:25I don't know what was
43:27in the air,
43:27but everybody sort of
43:29fell apart.
43:31Is it edible?
43:33And now everyone's
43:34back on their feet.
43:35So, Christmas is going
43:37to be fantastic.
43:38Come on, then.
43:38Let's go.
43:39Let's go outside.
43:43Go on, then.
43:44Freedom!
43:46Willow, slow down.
43:50Go, go, go.
43:51Go, go.
43:51Go, go.
43:51Go, go.
43:52Go, go.
43:52Go, go.
43:52Go, go.
43:52Go, go, go.
43:52Go, go, go.
43:52Go, go, go.
43:52Go, go, go, go, go.
43:52Go, go, go, go, go.
43:52Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
43:53It's just phenomenal.
43:54You can look at them now
43:55and look at Willow.
43:55I mean, she couldn't move
43:57when she got in.
43:58And you take off the lead.
44:00She's off.
44:01She's like a rocket.
44:03Oh, that's a bit of ice.
44:05Luigi's really strong.
44:07That night, when we really
44:08thought we were going
44:09to say goodbye, now he leaps
44:11up onto the sofa.
44:13It's just amazing,
44:14the life he's got back.
44:15Honestly.
44:16He's living his best life,
44:17I think.
44:18Go to the kitchen, come on.
44:23Oh, over the shoulder.
44:28One of my favourite angles.
44:31It looks like a drunk
44:34Father Christmas.
44:35We're just feeling
44:37incredibly lucky
44:38that all of them
44:40have pulled through
44:40and just recovered
44:42so well.
44:44You're going to have
44:45a good Christmas, yes?
44:46Happy Christmas, Domino.
44:54Happy Christmas, Diamond.
44:56It's a special time
44:57for Will and his
44:58adopted family.
45:00This year, they'll be
45:01spending their first
45:02Christmas together.
45:09Oh, thank you.
45:11Christmas is going to be
45:12so different for Domino
45:14and Diamond.
45:14they now have a home.
45:18There's no Christmas
45:19spirit with Domino.
45:20It's like, I will just
45:21chew these antennas up.
45:24It's destroying Christmas.
45:27Wait, wait, wait.
45:28I love watching them play.
45:31Come on.
45:37They just look so happy.
45:40It is honestly one of the
45:42things that makes my heart
45:44leap the most in my life
45:46at the moment.
45:47It's like having these
45:48enormous headies that give
45:49out this love.
45:51This boundless love.
45:54The future for these dogs
45:55is ultimately,
45:57I mean, everyone's saying
45:58it anyway,
45:59Crufts.
46:00Happy doggies.
46:02Has a rescue dog
46:03ever won Crufts?
46:04I don't know.
46:05Probably not.
46:06Stop me.
46:08Won one talent show.
46:10They can win another
46:10talent show.
46:12Don't let Daddy down.
46:14Oh!
46:18Come on.
46:18Have a family.
46:20No!
46:22Bye to date.
46:22Bye.
46:23Have a baby.
46:24Bye.
46:25Bye.
46:27Bye.
46:30Bye.
46:36Bye.
46:37Bye.
46:37Bye.
46:37Bye.
46:37Bye.
46:37Bye.
46:37Bye.
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