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Series 2 Episode Guide
Super Vets
Down at London Zoo, there’s been a disturbing discovery. New research done at the Royal Veterinary College has shown potentially fatal levels of cholesterol in captive meerkats round the world. To find out if the Zoo’s meerkats have this problem, Zoo Vet Tai Strike wants to run cholesterol tests on their blood. Mabel, Squirky, Pipsqueak and all the family are brought to the Zoo’s hospital to be anaesthetised so blood samples can be taken. The samples are sent to the College, where clinical pathologist Michael Waters (who did the original research) analyses them. In the wild, meerkats usually have cholesterol levels of less than 10. But Mike finds that the Zoo’s meerkats have cholesterol results in the 20s and even one as high as 30. This puts them at risk of brain disease – accumulated lumps of cholesterol sitting on the brain which would ultimately cause them to die. Michael sends the results back to London Zoo, where Scientific Officer Andy Hartley takes a lose look at the meerkat diet. They’re currently fed a mix of fruit, vegetables and meat, with the occasional treat of a bag of locusts. Andy think’s it’s the fat in the meat that’s causing the problem. He swaps the meat in their diet for a low fat, nutritionally balanced pet food to try and bring the cholesterol levels down. The meerkats take to the new food with gusto, and Andy and Tai plan to test their blood again in a few months time to see what difference it’s made...
Up at the Royal Veterinary College, a horse called Phoenix has been referred to see vet Richard Piercy. Her owner Louise had found her collapsed in her stable and it took two people to get back on her feet. Phoenix is still having problems walking. X-rays reveal that she’s got a rare condition where two of her neck bones are out of line, putting pressure on her spinal cord. Cutting edge spinal surgery is her best hope. It’s a complex, high risk procedure – but without it, Phoenix’s condition would deteriorate and eventually she’d have to be put down. During 4 fraught hours in theatre, surgeon Ehud Eliashar drills a hole between the two neck bones and screws a titanium implant into it to help fuse the two bones together. The surgery is a success – and one week on Ehud comes to x-ray Phoenix’s neck to see how it’s doing. The implant looks good, but Ehud spots a problem. There’s a fracture in one of the neck bones. Phoenix’s life hangs in the balance…if the fracture penetrates the spinal canal and affects the spinal cord, Phoenix would be paralysed and would have to be put down. There’s nothing the team can do but watch and wait to see if the fracture heals…
Across in the College’s small animal Hospital, a German Shepherd puppy called Bolly has been brought in with a tumour in one of her eyes. She’s been referred to the College because it’s one of only 3 places in the country that offer state-of-the-art laser surgery to treat tumours like hers. Top animal ophthalmologist Peter Bedford zaps the tumour with the high powered laser, but he’s not sure he’s got all of it. Bolly must come back to be re-assessed to see if she needs more surgery. If Peter can’t get rd of the whole tumour Bolly will lose her eye…
Equine Surgeon Ehud Eliashar and his surgical team operate on Phoenix the horse in a pioneering spinal operation
