As the festive season approaches at Fitzpatrick Referrals, Professor Noel and his team treat three special patients. A one-year-old crossbreed puppy rescued by a charity from Romania is in need of complex surgery, with no guarantee of success. An eight-year-old Dalmatian needs work on its spinal cord, and a Labrador from Switzerland is having trouble walking. Noel's investigations reveal problems with both shoulder and elbow, an unusual combination that requires dramatic intervention.