Critter Fixers: Country Vets

Critter Fixers: Country Vets to premiere on 2 July

The series showcases the heart-warming work of a charming vet duo at a bustling veterinary clinic treating animals of all shapes and sizes.

Johannesburg 15 June 2021: The much-anticipated Critter Fixers: Country Vets series will premiere on National Geographic Wild (channel 221) on Fridays at 6 PM from 2 July. This six-part series showcases the heartwarming, curious, and often complex veterinary work done by Dr Terrence “T” Ferguson and Dr Vernard Hodges. Together, they run the Critter Fixers veterinary practices in rural Georgia. The series premieres with a double-bill, with one episode airing per week after that.

Dr Ferguson and Dr Hodges are not only extraordinary vets but also lifelong friends. Together with their loving staff, these animal doctors bring real heart, soul, and a lot of humour to their treatment and care of more than 20,000 patients a year across their two locations. Emergency visits to the office and farm calls throughout rural Georgia, this team is constantly bombarded with unique cases. From adhering Tilapia scales to save an attacked dog to assembling a splint on a rare South American bird, for the Critter Fixer team, there is no such thing as “normal.”

Dr Ferguson grew up in rural Talbotton, Georgia, and discovered his caring nature for animals at a young age, bringing strays in off the streets and even nursing a dog back to health after it got hit by a car. With his family’s encouragement, he embarked on a career in veterinary medicine long before college, spending his summers volunteering at local veterinary clinics.

Dr Hodges was raised in Peach County, Georgia, growing up around many animals and developed a passion early on for understanding and helping them. He initially studied fisheries biology. Soon after graduating, Dr Hodges realized that his interest in animals expanded well beyond aquatic species. So, he went on to study Veterinary Medicine.

After graduating, these two remarkable vets formed a partnership, and nearly 20 years later, the Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital is still going strong.

Episodes to look forward to:

Episode 1: Tortoise and the Hair…Less Cat

Drs Hodges and Ferguson work to save a bunny after being attacked by the family cat and then perform an emergency C-section on a bulldog.

Episode 2: Goose on the Loose

Dr Hodges is in surgery when an emergency comes to the office. He orders his staff to begin treatment on a newborn baby goat in distress as he finishes surgery on a dog. Meanwhile, Dr Ferguson handles a snake with pneumonia, and then both doctors head out to treat a goose with a broken leg.

Episode 3: Alpacapalooza

Drs Hodges and Ferguson are busy with a hospital full of patients and taking care of their clients all over rural Georgia. They take care of the rural Georgia animal population, treating everything from alpaca pregnancies and pig hooves.

Episode 4: Hump Day

Drs Hodges and Ferguson treat a pit bull that needs surgery on its ear. A dehydrated bearded dragon. And an unruly camel.

Episode 5: Captain Hoof

The doctors are busy with a hospital full of patients. Unusual pets, such as a chinchilla with a severely broken leg, tests the docs’ veterinary skills.

Episode 6: A Litter of this. A litter of that

Dr Ferguson and vet tech Jordan treat a cat with an apparent ear infection, and a stray mama cat arrives in labour requiring a C-section.