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Improvising With a Hypodermic Needle

Episode 2 of 6

Noel Fitzpatrick removes Charlie the Labrador's tumour and replaces it with a custom made implant that exactly mirrors Charlie's diseased bone.

Documentary series looking at the work of 'bionic vet' Noel Fitzpatrick. At his multimillion pound state of the art centre in Surrey, Noel is pioneering revolutionary new surgical techniques to save and improve the lives of thousands of pets from all over the country. He is a medical engineer, rebuilding animals using a whole range of metal structures, nuts, bolts, implants and groundbreaking procedures. For many of the animals referred to him, he's their last hope.

Although only just over a year old, Labrador Charlie is already living on borrowed time. An aggressive cancerous tumour is eating away part of his front leg. His owners, Louise and Mick, turn to Noel for help. His unique solution is to remove the tumour and replace it with a custom made implant that exactly mirrors Charlie's diseased bone, making him truly bionic: part metal, part dog.

And the survival of border collie cross Sasha is at stake as Noel sets about giving her a new bionic knee. Meanwhile, senior surgeon Michael Hamilton is challenged by his smallest patient to date, Zippy the chinchilla. Zippy has broken both of the tiny bones in his arm after falling from a shelf. Can Michael come up with an ingenious solution to secure them back together?

29 minutes

Credit

Role Contributor
Participant Noel Fitzpatrick

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