Baden-Powell formed the Girl Guides in 1910, in fact he asked his sister, Agnes, to lead the organization and he picked the name based on his military background – the ‘Guides’ having operated on the frontiers of NorthWest India and whose main task was to go on hazardous expeditions. Fairly apt then, that the Rainbows, aged 4-7 and the youngest group of guides, should be the ones to lead a mission into the depths of Pilgrims Veterinary Practice on a chaotic Friday afternoon. What probably would have been a good plan, would have been for me to have remembered that I'd said they could come along and that way the practice wouldn't have been so surprised when 30 of them burst through the doors last Friday at 4pm.

Personally, I think the fact we were having a string of emergencies and were fully booked, including a labrador which arrived the same time having been caught up in a snare, added a sense of realism to the afternoon for the rainbows and although Leuwen, my 45kg ridgeback, had to take the hit so they could all line up and have a listen to his heart, a good time was had by all. Even the labrador seemed pretty happy as Matt had 30 junior nurses to assist him with bandaging various wounds. Suffice to say, we got through a lot of bandages that afternoon.

In fact, we've got through a lot of bandages all week - I chopped a claw off a cow's foot a few days ago - had maggots in the joint, it was literally hopping mad. Needed a few bandages for that one - and I saw a White Park cow (only 500 in the UK) - check out the horns in the picture, these make wild Highland cattle seem like pussycats, once we had it constrained (it bent the crush) I poulticed a bad foot for that with copper sulphate (in my top ten of essential powders to keep in your vehicle at all times). Had a calving of power last Friday night (no bandages there), but the horse wrapped up in barbed wire the other night could have done with some and I'm booked in to see a super aggressive German Shepherd with bad ears - because, basically, the quick thinking team running the show here came up with the vague excuse that I'm best suited to seeing it because it behaves as if it has rabies. Brilliant. Theoretically I pay them to deal with this sort of stuff. I'll be the one needing bandages after this - let's hope the Rainbows left a few in the draw...