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Mountain Vets

Documentaries

Factual: Pets & Animals

Following the busy mountain vets a picturesque corner of County Down.

In a picturesque corner of County Down, animals outnumber people ten to one. These dedicated mountain vets offer a vital emergency service and help bring the community together.

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Kevin Murphy

Sara Woodford

Gaetan Mourgue

Amanda Murray

Gillian Callan

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Mountain Vets: Series 1: Episode 2

Episode 2

Series 1

BBC Two - Mountain Vets, Series 1, Episode 2

Flame the dachshund and Monty the fell pony present the vets with challenging symptoms.

A pregnant sheep must undergo an emergency caesarean, while Flame the dachshund and Monty the fell pony present worrying symptoms that put the vets' knowledge to the test.

It is a busy start to spring and the birthing season in the Mournes is reaching its peak.   

It has been raining for days and vet Maurice King is called into the practice car park to examine a newborn lamb that is in danger of succumbing to hypothermia. 

Farmer Stanley brings in a heavily pregnant ewe. Her waters broke hours ago but there is no sign of any lambs. Vet Rachael Frew examines the ewe and realises that her cervix has not opened. The lambs are stuck and there is a risk the placenta could be ruptured and cut off their oxygen supply. Rachael decides to perform an emergency caesarean but will she be able to save the lambs?

In the clinic, dachshund Flame arrives with owner Oliver. Flame is suffering from intermittent pain. Newly qualified vet Daisy Dillon gives Flame a thorough examination but can’t find anything wrong and asks owner Oliver to come back if the symptoms continue. A few days later Oliver and wife Teresa return and the decision is made for Flame to undergo a general anaesthetic so that she can be x-rayed – but can Daisy get to the root of the problem?  

In the foothills of the Mournes in the town of Castlewellan, the largest vet practice in the area, Castle Vets, is in the middle of another hectic day. Vet Aidan O’Hare heads to a cattle farm to pregnancy test some cows. He knows the farmers well and he is invited in for tea once the work is done.

It is Rachael’s turn on the night shift and she is called out to a farm where a cow is having trouble giving birth. It’s habeen a long winter with many pregnant cows kept inside feeding on rich silage. The result for some cows is bigger calves and Rachael must use a jack to assist her in getting this calf out  - but it is a struggle. 

Further east in the coastal town of Portaferry, two grey seals wait for vet Cahir King to assess whether they are fit for release back into the wild. Aquarist Amy Robinson explains how Comsec and Leo were found at just a few weeks old. They are now six months and Cahir must check whether they have reached the target weight and are disease free before they can be released back into the wild. 

Today Rachael is rushing to an emergency. She has been called out to see a pony that has been found writhing in pain on the stable floor.  Monty, a 23-year-old fell pony, is suffering from colic but Rachael must diagnose whether it is medical – which can be treated in the stall – or surgical, which would mean transferring him to a horse hospital for urgent surgery. It is a complicated diagnosis. 

In Downpatrick, vet Miriam Campbell heads out to an appointment at Maurice’s brother’s farm. Miriam must squeeze or castrate some young bulls using a castrating iron called a burdizzo - but only if she can get them to stop bucking.

Mountain Vets: Series 1

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Following the busy mountain vets at the ancient Kingdom of Mourne.

Following the busy mountain vets at the ancient Kingdom of Mourne, where animals outnumber people ten to one.

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Mountain Vets

Series 1

Episode 2

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