Technology and Teaching at TRC

Dr. Ponder uses our digital radiograph for teaching.

Harmon the bald eaglet radiograph.

As you know, TRC loves to find ways to incorporate sustainability, efficiency and new technology in our teaching and care for raptors.  Our digital radiograph machine, purchased with funds raised in a matching gift campaign provided by the Katherine B. Andersen Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation, is a great example of this.  We use it with our clinic patients every day.  Not only does it eliminate the need to create and store radiograph films, but it also makes it possible for us to send and receive images that help in consultations with colleagues.  We can get almost immediate images of raptor patients that aid us as we determine steps in the care plans for each patient. It is also very useful as we train the next generation of veterinary students and animal health professionals.



You might remember the radiograph we showed of Harmon the bald eaglet.  (You can see the areas of soft tissue swelling.)   This helped us determine the extent of any injuries, so we could treat him and get him back to his nest.

Here is a radiograph of a short-eared owl patient.  Can you spot the injury?  (Look to the wing area marked as the right side.)

Another bit of information that we can see from radiographs is the existence of spent lead ammunition in the system of bald eagles.  (You can see the fragments in the bird's stomach.)