- 2 days ago
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00:01Across Yorkshire's Moors and Dales, the world's most famous vets set the benchmark for animal care.
00:08And James Herriot's legacy lives on.
00:13His former trainee, Peter Wright...
00:16All my life, I've enjoyed doing this.
00:18...has been a Yorkshire vet for over 40 years.
00:22There we are. How are you doing, my old mate?
00:25Peter's old partner, Julian Norton...
00:28Not quite the same as operated in theatre, is it?
00:30I know.
00:31...now has two practices.
00:33I don't want to let him go.
00:35One of them in the town where Herriot worked, surrounded by the North Yorkshire landscape, he loved.
00:41Everything that you can see all across there is Yorkshire.
00:44And in the foothills of the Pennines...
00:47That's a Hollywood smile.
00:48...a new generation of town and country vets...
00:52...also uphold the Herriot ethos.
00:54I'm just gonna have a feel a bit deeper inside, see what we've got.
00:56The teams are united...
01:00...and always determined to hit their target.
01:06As they help animals of all shapes...
01:09It's trying to grow an extra pair of legs.
01:11...sizes...
01:15...types...
01:16...and temperaments.
01:17No, don't be nasty.
01:18...it's definitely not glamorous.
01:21Cut that mucus out.
01:22...but it's varied.
01:23So we've actually found gold, literally found gold.
01:26...it's rarely easy.
01:27You've won Mr. Wet t-shirt.
01:29...but they continue the Herriot tradition...
01:32...treating all creatures...
01:34It's moving.
01:35I can't believe it.
01:37...great...
01:39You're alright little bird.
01:40...and small.
01:41How are we happening?
01:42Yay!
01:53Famed for her prophecies...
01:57...the name of Mother Shipton...
01:59...was given to a historic cave in North Yorkshire.
02:05But the future is difficult to predict.
02:09And the petrifying well near the cave...
02:12...is symbolic.
02:16Of the unknown dangers when a mum...
02:19...is trying to bring new life into the world.
02:23Because Mother Nature...
02:25...can act in mysterious ways.
02:31Near Huddersfield, cattle farmer Chris...
02:34Go on, Neil.
02:34...is worried about a first-time mum...
02:37Go, Mum.
02:37That's a good girl.
02:39...who's struggling to give birth.
02:42I managed to feel inside the cow and just check.
02:45I think it's a breach where she's not pushing.
02:48She's wanting to carve but doesn't have that sensation there...
02:51...to get pushing and get the calf out safely.
02:55He's called Shona...
02:57You were getting up.
02:58Come on.
02:59...who's rushed over to the farm from the Huddersfield practice.
03:02I think sometimes farmers are being too late...
03:05...so telephone call is always the wise decision.
03:10Hello!
03:12Are you all right, Chris?
03:14Is this here, is it here?
03:17I'm just going to put this on to keep everything clean...
03:20...and we'll have a feel and see what way around it's coming.
03:23Are you all right just steadying her with that gate...
03:25...just so she doesn't swing?
03:26That'll do.
03:29You had a hand in her yet?
03:30Yeah.
03:31She's quite tight, isn't she?
03:33Yeah.
03:33There's a foot there.
03:36That's a hop.
03:37That is also her back leg.
03:39She's not got a lot of room in her actual pelvis.
03:42She's first-time cow, so she'll obviously not have as much room as an older cow.
03:47I think what we'll do is we'll just put a rope on both these legs.
03:56It might be that we'll just do a bit of a pull and give her a bit more time.
03:59Yeah.
03:59Because she's a heifer to open up, isn't it?
04:01Yeah.
04:02I don't think the calf's the problem with this one.
04:04I think it's her.
04:05Yeah.
04:09She's very small, just even when I put my hand in first.
04:12Yeah.
04:12It's coming backwards with its... I can feel its ankles.
04:15OK.
04:16But it's like this leg is crossed under that one.
04:19And that gives you quite a good indication that there's probably not much room.
04:24They don't come out quite as easily backwards as they do forwards.
04:28The ribs can be a bit wider because they're coming the wrong way.
04:30So when they're coming backwards, sometimes they can get a bit stuck on rib.
04:34Do you mind just pulling that?
04:37And I'll pull this one.
04:39Ready? One, two, three.
04:43Hang on, let it back a wee bit.
04:46Right, one, two, three.
04:51Ooh, steady go, steady go.
04:52Let's start kicking.
04:56The critical part of them coming backwards is, obviously,
04:59when you've gone past umbilical cord,
05:01the calf has lost the oxygen supply from its mother.
05:04If it's coming backwards, it can't breathe because its head's not out.
05:08So once you've got to the midway point, you have to get them out really quickly.
05:11You've only got about two minutes.
05:12Otherwise, well, you'd lose the calf.
05:27When it comes to high-octane activities,
05:32some dogs are naturals.
05:35Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
05:37A regular on the motocross scene with owner Rachel and her family,
05:4213-year-old Elsa is a Samoyed.
05:45Oh, yeah.
05:47She loved it here, didn't she?
05:51Originally bred for herding reindeer and pulling sleds
05:55in the Arctic regions of Siberia.
06:00She's petrified of fireworks.
06:03Any sign of a firework, she'll run straight upstairs,
06:05hide underneath the bed.
06:08A motorbike's sat next to her.
06:10She's absolutely fine, she's not bothered.
06:12She's been brought up round bikes and she loves it.
06:17But recently...
06:18This way.
06:19Rachel made a discovery that stopped her in her tracks
06:22and left her cold.
06:25So she's brought Elsa to the practice in Kirby Moorside.
06:29Rachel. Hello.
06:30Would you like to come through?
06:31To see Peter.
06:33Now then, what's the problem?
06:35Oh.
06:36So, I noticed that she's got a lump on her back tip.
06:42Right.
06:42And it can only have been there no longer than a month.
06:45Right.
06:47That is quite big, isn't it?
06:49Yeah, it was a shock when I found it.
06:52Shall we just roll her over?
06:53Good.
06:54That's it.
06:54There's a good gel.
06:56Good girl.
06:57Cranky, yes.
07:00You're alright.
07:01Good girl.
07:02It's okay.
07:02I'm quite concerned about that.
07:04Quite concerned.
07:06Big, isn't it?
07:06Yeah.
07:07Yes.
07:07My first thought is that we've got quite an aggressive mammary tumour here.
07:13Yeah.
07:13It's the hormones flaring up as they come into season that can trigger these off
07:18and cause them to grow like mad.
07:20And the fact that it's gone very quickly does concern me.
07:24And I think we need to get that off as soon as possible, to be honest.
07:28So, I've got a bit of free space today in the operating theatre.
07:33I'm just wondering now, while we're here...
07:35Yeah.
07:36..whether we can get her in.
07:37Yeah.
07:38Has she had anything to eat this morning?
07:39No.
07:40Great. Excellent.
07:41That is why, to be honest, why we've not given her any food,
07:44because we did wonder.
07:45Do you think if it was bad that she'd have gone off her food and...?
07:48No, it's a funny business.
07:49You know, with cancerous lumps, A, they're not painful,
07:52so they're not moping around,
07:55and B, they're just pretty much carrying life as normal.
07:59So, it's like a time bomb ticking away there.
08:02We'll go in this door, I'm afraid, Elsa.
08:03Yeah.
08:04We'll give your mother a room later.
08:06Nurse Izzy has come to help.
08:10So, we're going to clip Elsa up now for surgery.
08:14We can get through this.
08:16That's the question.
08:17It's always nice when you've got something like a...
08:19a greyhound,
08:20a nice short hair,
08:21and you can see exactly what you're doing.
08:24Mm.
08:24This mass is awful.
08:28So, it's this brute here that we've got to deal with.
08:35Right.
08:36OK to proceed, Nurse?
08:37Mm-hm.
08:38All right.
08:42I'm going to carry out abdominal surgery first,
08:46spare,
08:46to try and prevent any further ones developing.
08:57A little bit cystic there, isn't it?
08:58It is.
08:59It is cystic, yeah.
09:00Like that.
09:01Yeah, it's not quite normal, is it, that ovary?
09:06It's absolutely critical that we don't leave any ovarian tissue behind.
09:12Otherwise, a complete operation is a waste of time.
09:15Because she'll still produce hormones,
09:17which could then still lead to further issues with mammary masses in future.
09:23So, it's absolutely vital that we get all this ovarian tissue out.
09:29Not healthy ovaries.
09:32Whether that's a factor in the reason we've got this horrible mass,
09:37I don't know.
09:42Coming up.
09:44Trying to save a calf is about angles...
09:47Come down five degrees.
09:49..and energy.
09:50Go, go, go, go, go! Come on!
09:53Lucy has unusual food envy.
09:55I would eat that.
09:57It just smells like spam, to be honest.
09:59And Jackie's picked some alpacas for a special assignment.
10:03A little bit of this.
10:04Here we go.
10:05Can Julian do his job?
10:07Oh, it's totally gone down.
10:09I thought we knew what we were doing, Jackie.
10:19Near Huddersfield.
10:22Shona's trying to help Chris's heifer give birth.
10:25It's of actual vulva that's narrow.
10:28But the calf is coming the wrong way round.
10:33If they come in breach,
10:35all of a sudden you've got the critical point
10:37where if the umbilical cord, the navel, is stuck on the pelvis,
10:40you've got to go for it,
10:42so that we don't end up with a suffocated calf.
10:44Right, okay.
10:46I think we're ready for a jack.
10:52Right, just ease it down a little bit, Chris.
10:55That's it.
10:56Right, let me just put a couple more on.
10:59So we've got the hocks through.
11:01Yeah, I think this is going to come, actually.
11:04You come down about five degrees.
11:06Yep, stay there.
11:09Good girl.
11:12Come down five degrees.
11:14Good girl.
11:16Knees are through.
11:18Good girl.
11:18Up, down five degrees.
11:21That's a good girl.
11:24Go, go, go, go, go.
11:26Come on.
11:30Come on, get out then.
11:34There we go.
11:35That's it.
11:36Sit you up.
11:40I just wanted legs, Andre.
11:42That's the one.
11:43Right, get your lungs going, buddy.
11:46Sit your chest up.
11:51I think it is, yeah.
11:54Sometimes, when they're coming out this way,
11:55they kind of inhale a little bit of fluid.
11:58So, we try and get them set up like this,
12:00so they can inflate both sides of the chest.
12:02And you can hear, like, coughing it out.
12:06Hello.
12:07Hello.
12:09They're very logical.
12:12Everything just happens a bit faster when they're coming backwards.
12:15But that's why we've got a live calf.
12:17Now, we have a really good feel.
12:18This is a good one.
12:18There's definitely not another calf, which is good.
12:20That's good.
12:21She has got a little bit of a tear in her vagina, but it's not even something that I'd stitch.
12:25OK, that's good.
12:26So, yeah.
12:26I'll take all this off, then.
12:29And now I understand why you put it on.
12:31Yeah.
12:35That's a great sign that she's gone straight to live.
12:37She's accepted it straight away.
12:39She knows it's hers and she's doing exactly what we wanted to do now.
12:43So, we'll leave her be, I think, and let nature do the rest.
12:46Yeah, I feel like a dad again.
12:49That's gone really well.
12:51I was quite worried for a minute there that we might end up doing a caesarean with that one.
12:54Obviously, she's a first-time carver, so it's a little bit uncomfortable for them,
12:57as you can imagine, having the first ones.
13:00But, yeah, I think she's going to be a good mum, and that's a nice, happy feeling now that we've
13:03got it out.
13:11At the practice in Wetherby,
13:14they afford their patients all kinds of creature comforts to help them feel at home.
13:20It is.
13:21And, as Nurse Lucy knows well...
13:23We'll see if you like that.
13:24You want it.
13:25You look at it, you're eating it.
13:27That especially applies at mealtimes.
13:32I had a patient once that the owner said it would only eat medium-well steak.
13:38Fillet steak.
13:39Not even ribeye, anything.
13:41Medium-well steak.
13:43If you have a dog that comes in, eats watermelon.
13:47So, for a treat, you don't give it a gravy, you only give it a watermelon.
13:51I let people do what they want, and the dogs are happy, so...
13:55So, if some dogs eat human food...
13:57Oh, he's so clever.
14:00Why not the other way round?
14:02Actually, I would eat that.
14:04It smells so nice.
14:06It just smells like spam, to be honest.
14:08Surely not. I mean, I haven't really.
14:10Do you know what? If I was starving...
14:12Let me go.
14:14I love that. It smells like pate.
14:16This is duck and rice.
14:17Oh, that's why it smells nice.
14:19They do like pumpkin and chicken, like, really good flavours.
14:23A lot of dogs do eat better than we do.
14:25That is so good.
14:26The proper recovery food.
14:28It's so smooth, it's like soup.
14:30Soup?
14:30I would eat that.
14:31The low fat's not as nice, but I don't do things in low fat.
14:34You've eaten some of the kibble food before, though, haven't you?
14:36Yeah, because the hyphogenic one is so bland.
14:40While Lucy's the only one with a pooches palate...
14:43I hope they like it as much as I like it.
14:45Lucy would eat it, so you better eat it, sweetheart.
14:48The whiff of cat food...
14:49That smells nicer than the dog would.
14:51..has more people purring.
14:55If not, everybody.
14:57It's chicken and rice.
14:58I think that smells really nice.
15:00Do you not think it smells like Spam?
15:01No, I think it smells awful.
15:03It smells like cat food.
15:04I like the smell of that, it doesn't bother me.
15:06Well, put it in your toasties at lunchtime.
15:08Isn't that nice?
15:19Over in Kirby Moorside,
15:21Peters successfully spayed Elsa,
15:24the 13-year-old motocross-loving Samoyed.
15:27Lovely.
15:28Quite happy with that.
15:31Now he and Izzy are gearing up
15:33for the most crucial part of the surgery.
15:37We're going to move on to the mammary mass.
15:42It has a very knobbly, angry feel to it,
15:46which I don't like.
15:47So, yes, I have concerns about this mass.
15:51Trouble with malignant masses like this,
15:54they have a good blood supply to them,
15:56which creates more issues.
16:00We have a big blood vessel coming into view there,
16:04which we want to avoid.
16:06She's doing all right.
16:07Blood pressure is slightly lower than I would like,
16:10but we've got her on fluids, so that should help.
16:15Just hit a major blood vessel there,
16:18which we could have done without,
16:19but sometimes you don't see them until you're actually on to them.
16:24Is that a lymph node?
16:25I was just wondering what that was, it's a bit...
16:27I think that's lymph node,
16:28and that might not be, that could be abnormal.
16:31Yes, you don't usually see that around there, do you?
16:34I don't, no.
16:35I'm a little bit concerned about that.
16:37Lymph nodes drain lymph around the body,
16:39so it's a passive circulatory system,
16:41and it's one way that cancers can spread, sadly.
16:47I'm just going to take these out as well.
16:52I don't want to leave them behind, it's too risky,
16:54because I don't think they look normal.
16:56There we are.
16:58There's our mass removed,
17:00with a good wide margin,
17:02giving it a good wide berth,
17:04of normal healthy tissue underneath.
17:07It's a fair size.
17:08It's taken a lot of getting out, really.
17:14Whenever you remove a mass like this,
17:16it leaves what we call a dead space,
17:18and nature's way of dealing with that is to fill it with fluid.
17:22So, what we've got to try and do is minimise the dead space,
17:27make it as small as we can,
17:29and sometimes we've got to put a drain in as well,
17:32to let the fluid drain away.
17:35Yeah, it's coming together reasonably well.
17:39Yeah, I'm very happy with how that's gone.
17:43Good. Right.
17:44I've just got to pop the drain in position,
17:47and then we're going to waken Elsa up.
17:51All right.
17:55Where's this bear over?
17:56We're down here.
17:58This one? Yeah.
18:01I'll get down, but I'll get back up again.
18:04Thank you, Izzy.
18:05No worries.
18:06Your usual efficient self.
18:09Hey.
18:10She's doing really well.
18:11She's recovered really nicely from her surgery.
18:13She seems nice and comfortable.
18:15So, we'll get her linked back up to her fluids
18:18and give her a little bit of time to recover.
18:20I'm just keeping everything crossed,
18:22that things are going to be okay.
18:24It hasn't been an easy one, though.
18:27Not by any means.
18:36Near Wetherby, Tania runs a care farm
18:40that proves animals really can be the best therapy.
18:45We've got adults with learning disabilities,
18:48physical disabilities,
18:49people needing that extra support to engage in meaningful work.
18:53They're involved in every aspect of the farm life.
18:58They have a huge bond with all the animals.
19:01They care very deeply about them.
19:03Amongst the hundreds of creatures here are three alpacas,
19:07but there's a small problem.
19:10Over a number of years,
19:11people have said that they would like to be able to walk them,
19:14but when we try and take them for a walk,
19:16they're all quite reluctant.
19:17So, if they're able to be walked in that gentle, calm manner,
19:22it means that everybody will be able to join in.
19:27So, looking for some new arrivals to lead by example,
19:31Tania's turned to local alpaca breeder...
19:33There you go, boys.
19:35..Jackie Barlow.
19:37Keep going for this morning.
19:39There you go, buddies.
19:41Three of the boys, Joey, Achi and Oli,
19:44I rescued them a couple of years ago.
19:47I'll be really sad to let them go,
19:49but they're going to a good home,
19:51so I know they'll have a great life
19:53and they'll really cheer people up.
19:58Hi, boys!
20:00Tania seems more than happy with Jackie's selection.
20:03Joey and Archie are going to show our guys how to do it.
20:08You're beautiful.
20:11You are lovely.
20:13I've just had an alpaca kiss.
20:15But before they can make the big move,
20:18Archie has an important appointment with Julian.
20:20Morning, everybody!
20:21Hi!
20:22You all right? How are you?
20:25Archie...
20:26The redhead collar, yeah.
20:28And he's going to be castrated,
20:29and then when will he be going to you, Tania?
20:33Probably in a couple of weeks.
20:35Yeah.
20:36It'll really calm him down.
20:39He won't be frustrated.
20:41He won't be trying to jump on his friends all the time.
20:43And he'll be a bit calmer around people.
20:47Go, little buddies!
20:49Here we go!
20:51He won't feel really anything,
20:53but he probably won't like being fastened in the crush.
20:57But hopefully, if he's best mate nearby,
20:59he might feel a bit more comfortable.
21:03Go on, Archie, there we are. Are we in?
21:07Oh, straight down.
21:10So he's decided he doesn't like this, so he's sat down.
21:15If in doubt, sit down.
21:17If in doubt, sit down and make silly noises.
21:19Yeah.
21:21Oh, he's totally gone down.
21:23We're very reluctant to get out.
21:26Oh, he's down again.
21:29Oh, he's up.
21:30Oh, he's up.
21:33Poor Archie.
21:34He really isn't happy, is he?
21:37Not going well.
21:38I thought we knew what we were doing, Jackie.
21:43Coming up...
21:44The head tilt is something she's always had.
21:47A sheep's looks aren't important.
21:49But her lungs might be.
21:51Last time, you could definitely hear a lot of abnormal lung sounds.
21:54So we're trying to rule out whether there's cancer present.
21:57And they say never work with children or animals.
22:00Yay!
22:01But no-one told Peter...
22:03Do you still want to be a vet?
22:05No!
22:12Up on the North York Moors,
22:14Julian's trying to castrate Jackie's alpaca, Archie.
22:18It's all right.
22:19It's all right, it's all right.
22:20In preparation for his new life at Tanya's care farm.
22:24Oh, he's going down again.
22:26Tanya, do you want to just come and hold him here?
22:29Yeah, sure.
22:31Oh, baby!
22:32So it's not working very well at the moment.
22:35Our patient actually keeps going down on the ground.
22:39His legs give way in protest.
22:41So it's the sort of strategy of an obstructive alpaca to lie down.
22:50There we are, we've got him.
22:53He's panicking now.
22:55He's a little bit upset and a bit worried about it.
22:58This is the kind of leave-me-alone noise, isn't it?
23:01Yeah.
23:02Well, the first strategy to do with a reluctant alpaca is to try and keep him still.
23:07The disaster is if you start the procedure and without the straps, if he flops to the ground, it becomes
23:12really difficult to do.
23:13So we've got him nicely restrained.
23:15Jack is keeping him calm at the head end and I'm about to do the business at the back end.
23:20So this is some local anaesthetic which will numb everything.
23:25So in there are his little testicles, quite tightly hidden on a cold day like today.
23:31Can you find them totally?
23:33I can find them, they're there, but they're a little bit...
23:36Pulled up.
23:37Pulled up, yeah.
23:40Freaking wind on me.
23:42Right, so ready.
23:43So just nick there through the skin.
23:46And this is numb, so there's totally no feeling.
23:51So you go like that.
23:53So that's the first one done.
23:55And then this just goes like this.
23:59And then...
24:01Indus has gone to hide around the corner.
24:04Does he think he's going to be next?
24:06I think he must do his disappearance.
24:08He's not very happy.
24:09It's all right, little buddy.
24:12It'll soon feel better.
24:14That's gone very well, I'm pleased with that.
24:17All done.
24:20So this is the start of a new dawn.
24:22Over a number of years people have said that they would like to be able to walk the alpacas.
24:27So now finally we're going to be able to...
24:30So it's quite a big responsibility then for these ones.
24:34Leaders of the pack.
24:35We just need to go and get warm I think.
24:37Brilliant, yeah, let's grab a cup of tea.
24:39It's a very good idea.
24:42It's essential really that Archer was castrated today.
24:45Without that he would be very difficult to live with.
24:48This now pays the way for him to go with the rest of his friends here to the community farm
24:53and hopefully begin a new life down there.
25:02In Thirsk, the story of the famous vet who lived and worked in the town is still being told.
25:10In history we have been learning about James Herriot, haven't we?
25:14And while these school children can't quite hear it from the horse's mouth...
25:18Today we have got a very special person coming in to speak to us.
25:23Are we excited?
25:25Yeah!
25:26They do have the next best thing.
25:29Can you say hi to our local vet Peter?
25:32Hello everyone, hello.
25:36Do most of you know what I do?
25:38What my job is?
25:39Being a vet.
25:41You're right, absolutely right, yeah.
25:43Have you got your own vet?
25:44Oh I see.
25:47Ah yes, you've been learning about him.
25:49And me as well.
25:49Yeah.
25:50You've got your water danger here.
25:52Well, I did and I was very lucky to go and work there.
25:56So, who would like to be a vet?
25:58Me.
25:59Would you? Would you? So, quite a few of you.
26:01Now, I've brought some things that you might like to look at, that I use.
26:06Who knows what this is?
26:08Me.
26:09Everybody knows.
26:10A necklace.
26:11It is like a necklace, yeah.
26:12In fact, I think some of us just wear them as a necklace.
26:16It's a stethoscope, yeah.
26:18There's things going up here so you can hear the heart.
26:21You're right, gosh.
26:22I think you're half trained already, are you?
26:24Would anybody like to have a go of the stethoscope?
26:26Me? Yes.
26:28OK, Harrison, would you like a go?
26:29Yes, please.
26:29I'm going to pop that in and then can you listen for Antonina's heartbeat?
26:34Yes, I am.
26:34So, whereabouts is her heart?
26:37Yeah.
26:37I don't remember at this stage of my schooling that I was half as switched on as these children are.
26:44I was very shy.
26:45I saw it wouldn't have joined them like this.
26:47The kids are responding really well.
26:49I think they're just excited to put a face to the name and all the learning that we've been doing.
26:54Can you hear it?
26:55No.
26:56Uh-oh. Daisy and Oscar, I think you need to go and have a lie down.
27:01No.
27:01Yeah.
27:03Now, how do we take an animal's temperature then?
27:07Shall I tell you what we do?
27:09Yeah.
27:10We stick it up the bottom.
27:15Even you didn't know that, did you, Harrison? You didn't know that. I don't know.
27:18I didn't know we had to go up the bottom.
27:19Well, that's what we do.
27:21Well, the low temperature, does that mean they're very cold and the high temperature means they're very hot?
27:27Six-year-old Harrison appears to be a Yorkshire vet in the making.
27:31Now, there's the rest of the stuff. I think I'm going to go and have a cup of tea now
27:34while you take over. Is that all right?
27:36Yeah, that's right.
27:39Sometimes, we've got to make another examination and we use these.
27:45Is it where you put your hands up that bottom?
27:48It is!
27:49I thought you might like to look at some of his gloves. Now, they are new, so they've not been
27:55near any bottoms. Do you want to pass them around?
28:00Look at my hands!
28:04Would you like to see me using one of these gloves?
28:06Yeah!
28:07Are you sure?
28:08Yeah!
28:09Can you remember what they're used for?
28:11Yeah!
28:12OK!
28:16Do you still want to be a vet?
28:18No!
28:22We've got something here that might give you an idea as to what we do.
28:27Who wants to have a go?
28:28Me!
28:28Yay!
28:30Right!
28:31Hold the tail and then pop your hand in there.
28:37These young children are highly intelligent and there's a lot of thought going into how they responded to what I
28:44was telling them.
28:45It's been very enjoyable.
28:47Pop your hand in there now. That's it.
28:49But I do think I need a rest.
28:51Yeah!
28:56Near Huddersfield, it's a month since Shona helped her first-time mum give birth on Chrissie's farm.
29:03It was quite a tricky carving because the calf was breech, which is where they're coming completely backwards and only
29:10the tail is there.
29:11So it took quite a bit of sorting out. So Chris has been keeping a close eye on her and
29:15so we're just going to check out and have a look at how this girl's getting on.
29:20Hiya! You alright?
29:22So I'll catch you while it's a bit quieter at work. You can see these cows.
29:26Yeah, nice day.
29:26It'll be great, isn't it? It is.
29:28So these look good, don't they?
29:30They're doing really well, thank you.
29:31Brilliant. No, you're very welcome.
29:33I was quite worried about it on the day. I thought we might end up doing a caesarean, but we'd
29:37managed fine, didn't we?
29:38We did.
29:39And no discharge or anything from her afterwards, because she did have that bit of a tear, didn't she, when
29:43we did it?
29:43Yeah, just a little bit, but after a day or two, she came round.
29:48Sorts it out. Yeah, fine.
29:49But obviously, being outside, I think that's the best medicine.
29:56Having a drink in this warm weather.
29:58Yeah, she'll need it, won't you?
29:59Yeah, it looks like she's bonded really well with the calf, which sometimes, with a heifer or a difficult calving,
30:05it's the thing that you kind of worry about a bit, isn't it?
30:07Yeah, she's a good mum. She's a first-time calver. She's done everything that she's supposed to have done.
30:15Well, they look brilliant. That's a nice happy ending, isn't it, that one?
30:19Doesn't get any better. No, they're doing really well.
30:25The cow and calf are looking absolutely brilliant, and you know, the most important thing is, the heifer is really
30:30looking after that calf.
30:31She's really interested, she's feeding well, and they've got a really good bond.
30:36Lovely farmer, great guy like Chris, he's looking after them really well.
30:39Now they're out in the sun, and the grass is coming through, and it's just all the rewards paying off.
30:50When the weather turns colder, things get tougher on Yorkshire's farms.
30:56And that's especially true at Vicky's rescue farm near Halifax.
31:01We've got a number of sheep, they're all either elderly or they've got some sort of illness or some sort
31:06of difficulty.
31:08One of Vicky's recent arrivals has a very visible issue.
31:12Come on.
31:16This is Matilda, and unfortunately she's got a head tilt, so for the farmer she was of no commercial use.
31:23But luckily he decided to try and find her a home, which is what she's going to have here, a
31:27nice forever home, and she'll be looked after.
31:30But Matilda has other problems, which Rohin has been helping with.
31:36When she came to us, she had quite a snotty nose, so we thought maybe it's just because of the
31:40tilt,
31:41because everything's sort of going to one side.
31:43But Rohin was concerned that it could be something more serious and possibly contagious as well.
31:48So at the moment she's on her own.
31:51Hi! Hi Vicky, how's it going? Yeah, good. Good to see you again.
31:54Yeah, you too.
31:55How are you doing? Nice to see you. This is Sienna.
31:58We've got spare hands.
31:59Extra pair of hands.
32:00When we checked her last time, you could definitely hear a lot of abnormal lung sounds.
32:05And we just want to know what are we dealing with.
32:08It's really nice that you've given her that opportunity to get this test done.
32:11A lot of people wouldn't do that.
32:13Oh, she's so sweet, isn't she?
32:15She is.
32:17You know.
32:17Bless her.
32:18You can tell she's already looking a bit nervous.
32:20Yeah.
32:20She probably remembers I'm the nasty man who gave her an antibiotic injection.
32:25Yeah, well, I told her.
32:28The head tilt is something she's always had.
32:31It's not often you see a really severe one like that.
32:34It tells us she's probably been born with a neurological issue that affects her balance.
32:41So hopefully it shouldn't be too much of a stress this.
32:44It's a really non-invasive test.
32:46We're just putting an ultrasound probe on the lungs.
32:48Yeah.
32:49It's the same way we do commonly in dogs and cats and humans and other species.
32:53It should be charged, hopefully, already.
32:56But so far it's not a big thing in sheep.
32:58It's only a recent area of medicine that's been developed, this kind of technique.
33:03That's it.
33:04That's it.
33:04There we go.
33:05We got you.
33:05We got you.
33:06There we go.
33:09The ultrasound scanner is a way to give you an idea if there's cancer,
33:15which is something that sheep can develop and it can cause this nasal discharge.
33:18So we're trying to rule out whether there's cancer present.
33:21Yep.
33:21That would be really bad news if it was because that's not something they can get better from.
33:27I am a bit concerned about this region here.
33:34Yeah.
33:38Still to come is the motorbike-loving Samoyed on flying form.
33:45While with one extra wheel, Julian isn't.
34:03In Thirsk...
34:04You're a good girl, Els. You are.
34:07...Peter's making a house call to see Rachel's elderly Samoyed, Elsa,
34:12a week after removing her large tumour.
34:16Is it good?
34:16Is it good?
34:17You are a good girl, aren't you?
34:21How are you doing?
34:22Yeah.
34:23Better than I thought that we would be.
34:25Really?
34:25Yeah, a lot better.
34:27That cone.
34:28Gosh, she's walking into everything.
34:30It's a necessary evil, Elsa.
34:32And especially with the draining.
34:33Now, talking of the drain, hopefully we can take that out today.
34:36So, we're going to pop you on your side now and we're going to have a look at your tummy.
34:40We're going to have a look at it.
34:41So, I'll just roll you over and your mother can help.
34:46That's it.
34:48Do you know, I am very pleased.
34:51Very pleased indeed.
34:53That's about as good as it gets.
34:58Right.
35:00A little stitch in there and then I'm just going to snip this now.
35:07That's it.
35:08Job done.
35:08Oh, it is.
35:09It's lovely, Elsa.
35:11I'm really chuffed.
35:13Yes.
35:15You're giving kisses as well still.
35:18That's lovely.
35:20Very good.
35:21Yeah.
35:22Excellent.
35:23Well, I'll leave you in peace.
35:24Lovely.
35:25Nice to see you.
35:25Thank you, Peter.
35:26Thanks a lot.
35:26See you later.
35:30But being left in peace isn't for Elsa.
35:38And she's not the only dog who enjoys motocross.
35:44I'm sorry.
35:46I'm sorry.
35:46Elsa loves coming here because she's outside all weekend and she gets to sleep in the camper.
35:53Rachel's brother Matthew is racing today and he's relieved he still has Elsa to cheer him on.
36:01Everyone was a bit concerned and we could tell she wasn't herself so it was definitely best to get it
36:06checked out and it turned out it's something we could do something about because he caught it early so glad
36:10we did.
36:14I've told him if he didn't come inside the top ten that's to come back to the camper.
36:21Yeah.
36:21Yeah.
36:22Yeah.
36:22Yeah.
36:23Yeah.
36:25Although Matthew didn't win his race.
36:27How do you think he did?
36:29Not very well.
36:30Elsa's speedy recovery.
36:32Can you cheer me on?
36:33It means the whole family can celebrate.
36:36Really we thought that we were going to lose her but now she's made a full recovery.
36:43She's back to where she belongs at the centre of our family.
36:46Yeah.
36:59Near Huddersfield.
37:01Rohin scanning Vicky's disabled rescue sheep Matilda.
37:05I have to be honest and say we've got a bit more worrying news than what you might have hoped
37:11for.
37:12Yeah.
37:12Her tilted head isn't the problem but he is worried about her lungs.
37:17It looks like she's got consolidated lung tissue there.
37:22It's a sign of infection.
37:24But what I haven't seen, I haven't seen nodules or signs of cancer.
37:30That's good news, yeah.
37:31That would have been the worst of all, that's something that there's no coming back from.
37:35And where that infection is, is that likely to be permanent damage or reversible?
37:39It's possible if there's been a really long-term infection that the lung is always going to have scar tissue
37:45and it's never going to fully recover its function there.
37:48Because it's possible, isn't it, that she's actually got issues on both lung fields but the reason we've only got
37:53discharged from one nostril is because of her head tilt.
37:56So when you're ready, three, two, one.
37:58So Rohin wants to check the other side of Matilda's lungs.
38:03Let's stick this on there.
38:04Right.
38:07We're getting a lot of irregularities there.
38:10If you have both lung fields that are consolidated then her prospects in the long run become more and more
38:16concerning.
38:18We can let her go now, that's fine.
38:20There is likely a deeper infection there that is not something that can always just simply get better with, with
38:27one injection.
38:29The best thing to do right now, we know the extent of what we're dealing with now.
38:33If she was on antibiotics for the next month or so, if she can fight it off and have a
38:37good quality of life after that.
38:38Brilliant, thank you.
38:40Right.
38:41That's a slightly bigger needle than what we used before so she might react a bit.
38:45Yeah, great work, perfect.
38:47Fabulous.
38:48There we go.
38:48And that will, yeah, I think that will really help.
38:53For now, Vicky doesn't need to think about the worst case scenario.
38:58We'd only sort of have to make the horrible decision if it was in her interest to do so.
39:02But as long as she can be well, we'll make sure we do everything we can.
39:09But just over a month later, Rohin's back at the rescue farm.
39:15Matilda, come on.
39:17Here you go, darling.
39:19To see if Matilda's condition has improved.
39:22Hi, Vicky.
39:23Hi, how are you?
39:23I see you've got your hands full.
39:24Good to see you again.
39:25Good to see you.
39:26How are you?
39:26Yeah, good, thank you.
39:29How's it all going with Matilda?
39:30I think I can see her in the back somewhere.
39:32Yeah.
39:33Oh, she's doing it amazingly, yeah.
39:35She's obviously out in the field now with her friends.
39:38Right.
39:40There she comes.
39:42I'm here then.
39:43Look at her charging in.
39:45Oh, bless.
39:46When you look at her now, she's just breathing absolutely fine.
39:49There's no effort or strain there.
39:52And it looks very settled, doesn't it?
39:54It's absolutely incredible how she's adapted to the deformity as well.
39:58Because she just runs along, charges straight in, she's holding her own.
40:02The others aren't bullying her or putting her off.
40:04No, not at all.
40:04They're just such resilient animals, aren't they?
40:10Matilda's doing so well at the moment.
40:12The discharge from the nose has dried up to barely a drip.
40:15If she carries on doing like this, she's got a brilliant quality of life.
40:19And there's no reason why she can't just be a happy sheep out in the field with all the others.
40:32Near Wetherby, alpacas Archie, Joey and Ollie are settling into their new home on Tanya's care farm.
40:39Morning, boys. Anyone wants a carrot?
40:43I think you're liking being part of this new herd.
40:46They were handpicked from her own herd by alpaca breeder, Jackie.
40:49I wonder how they're doing.
40:51And Julian castrated Archie before the big move.
40:54Can you recognise them from here?
40:56Yeah.
40:57They look great.
40:59They have settled in really, really well.
41:03The fact they've always been together.
41:05Yeah, I know, it's amazing.
41:06Ah, personally.
41:07And how hard is he to be covered all right?
41:10He's been doing fantastically.
41:12A picture of absolute harmony on the farm.
41:14Good animal therapy.
41:16Absolutely, yeah.
41:16For somebody who's come in quite distressed.
41:18Having a bit of time with the alpacas and stroking their necks or feeding them a carrot.
41:23You can see everybody's sort of really calming down.
41:28So, I guess if we hadn't castrated Archie, this would have been a bit of a disaster, would it?
41:33Oh, yeah, definitely.
41:34I'd have been jumping on all the other ones and chasing them round and trying to be boss.
41:42So, with the four-legged friends doing their bit on the farm...
41:46I've just got a little favour to ask you.
41:48OK.
41:48Tania wants keen cyclist Julian to test ride some new therapy on three wheels.
41:56This is Charlotte.
41:58Hi, Charlotte.
41:58Hiya.
41:59Charlotte has said for years that she would like to have more sport, more cycling available.
42:07So, are we going to go for a bike ride?
42:08Big time.
42:10Excellent.
42:14Heee!
42:14This is good.
42:15So, you're steering, obviously, Charlotte.
42:17Yeah.
42:18When it comes to de-stressing...
42:20Whoa!
42:21Gosh!
42:22It's a bit hard to balance.
42:23The alpacas might be a safer bet.
42:26Whoa!
42:28That was a bit of a shelter.
42:30But this definitely covers the fun factor.
42:34Whoa!
42:35Get away!
42:38Whoa!
42:40Nice steering.
42:42Excellent.
42:43Good job.
42:44Excellent.
42:46You've done this before, haven't you?
42:48Yeah.
43:10Thanks for understanding.
43:17Today we're watching watching and watching and watching when you're forwards.
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