How Vetel and Dolphin Quest Are Transforming Marine Mammal Imaging

Dolphin Quest, an international organization dedicated to providing exceptional care for their marine mammal residents, recently approached their longtime partners at Vetel with a request to demonstrate the new Enduro X Digital Radiography System.

After learning about the panel's rugged, waterproof design and high-definition imaging capabilities, Dolphin Quest's veterinary team was eager to explore whether this innovative technology could enhance their comprehensive healthcare program.

At Dolphin Quest, maintaining optimal health for their dolphin residents is the highest priority. Their veterinary team conducts voluntary health examinations, using detailed diagnostic testing to ensure proactive and comprehensive care. These examinations are made possible through a foundation of trust-based training and the deep, long-standing relationships between dolphins and their caretakers, allowing the dolphins to actively participate in their own healthcare.

To further these efforts, Dolphin Quest sought cutting-edge digital radiography technology, enabling more precise, non-invasive imaging that enhances both routine health monitoring and broader conservation research.

By refining diagnostic techniques in a controlled setting, these advancements serve as a model for developing non-invasive tools that support conservation research of wild dolphin populations.

The Challenge

Traditional radiographic examinations of marine mammals have presented veterinary teams with several challenges:

• Examinations typically require a large team of staff members, creating a complex logistical operation.
• Dolphins must completely exit the water and be positioned on a mat or suspended in a stretcher to capture a radiographic image.
• Although Dolphin Quest dolphins successfully participate in traditional radiographic procedures, the effects of gravity out of the water can potentially result in anatomical structures to deviate from their natural positioning in water.

The Innovation

Vetel's engineering team recognized an opportunity to reimagine the radiographic process for marine mammals completely. Rather than requiring dolphins to adapt to current technology, we endeavored to adapt our technology to the dolphins' natural environment.

Thus, our technology team engineered a custom aquatic setup that allowed the digital plate to be completely submerged in salt water alongside the dolphin, capturing radiographs.

The Results

This collaborative effort between Vetel and Dolphin Quest produced exciting results:

• The world's first true underwater radiographs were captured, representing a significant advancement in marine mammal diagnostics.
• The dolphins could remain completely buoyant in their natural state during examinations, eliminating potential anatomical distortion in the images and prioritizing patient comfort.
• While the procedure requires desensitization of the dolphin to the presence of the submerged plate, once trained, less time and fewer staff members are required for this procedure than traditional radiographic procedures.

Impact on Marine Mammal Care

This imaging breakthrough represents a significant step toward making 100% aquatic radiographic imaging possible. Working together, Vetel and Dolphin Quest developed a solution that enables veterinarians to capture accurate images of marine mammals while prioritizing patient comfort. This advancement also underscores the role of voluntary participation in enhancing both diagnostic capabilities and future applications in marine mammal conservation and research.

Nearly 30 years ago, Vetel was founded on one mission: to empower veterinarians with the latest technology and transform their approach to patient care. Since then, we’ve endeavored to make diagnostic imaging more accurate and efficient and introduced many industry firsts.

We thrive on solving unique challenges like these, find inspiration in working with dedicated veterinary teams, and are fueled by the patients whose lives are touched by each new step forward.

Vetel extends its gratitude to Dolphin Quest for its partnership in achieving this significant milestone in veterinary imaging.

Together, we will continue to pioneer an approach that benefits marine mammals receiving veterinary care worldwide.