'Junior Vets' series to appear on CBBC
A new series called Junior Vets has been filmed at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, part of the University of Edinburgh. More than 1,000 children applied to take part in the series, which shows six children aged 11-14 learning to how handle sick and injured animals.
The Junior Vets are faced with a range of situations over ten episodes, including taking part in a "training zone" where they learn key skills, such as identifying abnormalities from x-rays and diagnosing pregnancy in cows.
The series is presented by qualified vet Paul Manketelow, who gives advice on the challenges faced by the young vets. Each episode sees the children carrying out the day's veterinary tasks in teams of two, both at the university's vet school, and at farms and zoos. They work closely with vets to gain hands-on experience.
Duties carried out by the children include taking blood samples from African Dwarf crocodiles, administering eye drops to a penguin, rasping a horse's teeth and communicating with clients. The Junior Vets also scrub up for surgery to help monitor the effects of anaesthetic. One of the more unusual operations featured involved removing a lump from the head of an Axolotl.
Outside of the vet school, the children help to milk cows and get involved in taking urine samples to help identify diseases. They also look for illnesses and injuries among horses at the Musselburgh Races.
Vet Skill Credits are given to the best performing Junior Vets after each training zone activity, and Vital Vet Work awards are given to those who impressed the most during the day's work. At the end of the series a Head Junior Vet will be chosen according to these credits and awards.
Head of the R(D)SVS Professor David Argyle said: "Many children from a diverse range of backgrounds want to become vets when they are older. This programme really gives a sense of what being a vet entails, and all the different aspects of veterinary work. For youngsters wanting to become a vet, it is an immensely rewarding career with so many amazing experiences."
The first episode of Junior Vets can be found on the BBC website.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
