Feline Demodicosis
Dr. Kathy Tater (VIN Dermatology Consultant) is interested in your thoughts about feline demodicosis. The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete and will run until February 21. The results will be provided to the VIN community by February 28.

What do you think about Pet Insurance Partnerships
In July 2008, AVMA Group Health and Life Insurance Trust (GHLIT), which markets health and life insurance to veterinarians, announced a partnership with Pets Best and Aetna Insurance companies.

Be HEARD in Schaumberg.
The results of this survey have been requested by AVMA leadership for discussion at the next Board of Governers meeting.

Get caught up on the story with the links below and then tell us what you think by taking this quick survey (it should take less than 1 minute to complete). (Of course, your responses will remain anonymous, as always).

• GHLIT-pet insurance partnership raises red flags
• GHLIT tackles latest PR flap concerning Pets Best deal
• Consulting firm releases user guide that avows pet insurance merits

NEWS THAT'S FIT TO CLICK and discuss
News reported for YOU...

• Guidelines raise bar on infection control in veterinary practices
  - VNS Report|
• New cancer drug carries high hopes of oncologists
  - VNS Report | Discussion
• Off the table?
  - VNS Report | Discussion

Be a VIN Newshound:
VNS is here to give YOU a voice and report news that is important to YOU. Got an idea for a story? Have a story that needs covering? Post it on the boards or email News@vin.com .

Share News with nonVINners -- The VIN News Service (without access to the community discussions) is now publicly available at news.vin.com. Check it out and share it.

VIN Student Center: Resources for Students and Old Pros Alike
Zoonotic diseases present an increasing risk to public health and are the greatest link between human and animal medicine.

Learn more about how animal diseases can affect humans and search articles from governmental & university resources in the Public Health and Epidemiology section of the VIN Student Center.

Special thanks to Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for their contributions.

Thanks to the continuous efforts of the VIN community, the Student Center has grown into a resource to serve all VINners.

E-mail to Feedback@vin.com if you'd like to contribute to the Student Center and don't forget to share your VIN experience on your school message boards.

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs." ~ Ansel Adams
When words aren't enough, turn to the VIN Image Library, built in part from VINner contributions. This is the VIN Community at its best!

Images are immensely valuable in teaching and sharing ideas on cases. The Image Library includes hundreds of photos, radiographs, ultrasounds, illustrations and other images and is divided into easy to use categories and sections. Reach the Image Library through the Multimedia Center or the Specialty Centers in the VIN Library.

If there is a specific image you'd like to see or if you'd like to contribute your own images please contact us at Library@vin.com.

New in VeterinaryPartner:

• Home Health Check
• Liver Tumors and Cancers
• Ear Infections revised
• Acepromazine (PromAce) revised

Texas Farm Radio

• Adoption of an Orphan Foal

The neurophysiology of dyspnea
Dyspnea is a primal threat signal of a similar nature to pain, thirst, nausea, and nutrient hunger. Imaging studies suggest that these varied primal threat signals may all be processed in a similar manner in the CNS.

A long-term study of apicoectomy and endodontic treatment of apically infected cheek teeth in 12 horses
Follow up information was obtained 38-67 months following treatment and indicated that the treatment had been successful in 7/12 horses (58%), partially successful in 2 horses (17%) and unsuccessful in 3 (25%). With good case selection, apicoectomy can preserve a proportion of apically infected cheek teeth. The use of advanced imaging techniques and improved surgical techniques could increase the success rate.

Impact of management interventions on smallholder dairy farms of the western highlands of Cameroon
The interventions consisted of improved breeding through introduction of artificial insemination, better feed supplementation, farmers training in milk processing and better veterinary services. Results show that there was a decrease in average monthly expenditures of 18% relative to the month before interventions started.

Phishing scams
If you receive suspicious emails, DO NOT CLICK on any link. You can roll the curser over the link and it will show the address of the link without clicking it. In this case, the site that the link in the email was sending me to was to "we-do.ru" so it is OBVIOUSLY NOT the IRS.

What IV catheters do you use on goats?
If you have a problem threading it into the vein, insert an 0.025 ga J wire into the vein over an 18 gauge needle, once the catheter has been inserted into the vein, remove the needle, and thread the catheter over the J wire.

Opinions on a dog training company called 'Sit Means Sit"; the use of negative reinforcement as a training technique
It appears we now have a resurgence of abusive training all under the guise of "dogs are dominant and willful".

Advice for inducing vomiting in poisoning cases; caution against using large amounts of activated charcoal
One of the relief vets at our E-clinic had a chocolate case come in. He induced vomiting and then gave a 200 mL dose of charcoal. Within 30 minutes of discharge, the patient started seizuring. What caused the seizuring?

How To Use VIN: Part 3
Wednesday, February 18, 9:30 p.m. ET
(Thursday, February 19, 2:30 a.m. GMT)
Learn how to use VIN like a pro!
Email Nate@VIN.com for more information about this free, three-session course.

Sunday Rounds
Sunday, February 22, 10 p.m. ET
(Monday, February 23, 3 a.m. GMT)
Join Patricia Baley, DVM, PhD, for Guiding Your Patients To Alternative Medicine: Who's Qualified, How Do You Refer, And Can It Help Your Complex Case?

This Week's Rounds Schedule
Use the Rounds link to join these discussions.

Want to See What You've Been Missing?
Click the Rounds button on VIN's main navigation bar and read the transcripts of the last few Rounds, click the complete list of Rounds to get to the list of the last 300 Rounds transcripts or click on Rounds and Discussions in the VIN Library.

Rounds are also searchable via the Search button. Just remember to choose Rounds (under the Clinical Resources tab) as the "Source" in your search parameters.

For All You Multi-Taskers:
Download VINCasts to your MP3 player and listen to previous Rounds sessions while you run errands, exercise or steal a few minutes of me-time.

Recent Rounds
@ = VINCast available for this session

Member Benefit:
Continual Education
Don't just attend CE - learn and enjoy! VIN continual education courses are unlike any CE you've experienced. If you need CE credits, VIN can help you meet your continual education requirements and have fun at the same time - all from the comfort and convenience of your home or office!

Experience direct interaction among instructors and fellow participants daily on the message boards and during the weekly real time sessions. Please visit the CE Main Page and check out the Course Catalog for information on current courses.

Get More From VIN
How to Use VIN" resources:
The three-part "How To Use VIN" course can be taken live (on the first three Wednesday nights of each month), or you can do it as self study.

How to Use VIN" resources:
The three-part "How To Use VIN" course can be taken live (on the first three Wednesday nights of each month), or you can do it as self study.

If you'd like to take the live sessions, e-mail Nate at Nate@VIN.com, and tell him you'd like to sign up for the How To Course.

To keep up with VIN's growth, take the time to explore the Front Page at least once a week, read the VIN This Week (VINTW) newsletter twice a week, explore the VINDEX (VIN's Front Page, right hand column) and click all the buttons on VIN's navigation bars.

Funny Bones:
Grammar snobs, unite!
Yesterday one of my techs came to me, asking about a particular call from a client. She started the discussion with, "Mrs X called about her dog, Fluffy. She HAD BROUGHTEN the dog in on Thursday..."

What's Your Diagnosis?
Archives of the Challenging and Fun Cases
* Public Health Case 3

Associate - Updated and New:
Canine Demodectic Mange
Explore the rest of Associate!

Book Review of the Week
Veterinary Hematology: Atlas of Common Domestic and Non-Domestic Species
Purchase it in the VIN Bookstore!

Website of the Week
Animal Health Literacy and more..

eVetsites Tip of the Week
Linking Pharmacy Web Sites to your eVetsite

Upcoming Conferences
Looking to attend or contribute a paper to a veterinary conference? Check out the On The Road With VIN folder, or the Press Releases folder, to see what conferences are coming up and to visit their Web sites! Links to information about upcoming conferences include: EAAV, SAVMA, BSAVA, NAVDF, ABVP, Voorjaarsdagen and CVC East

This course is now open for enrollment. Click on the links below to see the details, register and find more upcoming CE.

Veterinary Dental Techniques Module 1
March 9 - April 20, 2009

This course in Veterinary Dental Techniques is designed to allow discussions of current techniques used in veterinary dentistry. Veterinarians practicing all levels of veterinary dentistry are invited to participate, from the veterinarian just interested in getting more information in veterinary dentistry to the Board Certified Veterinary Dentist.

Pharmaceutical Regulatory Review Course
March 30 - April 13, 2009

Participants will be able to evaluate their current practices and, if needed, implement improvements that reduce the risk of theft, diversion or prosecution for failure to maintain an adequate system of security and accountability for controlled substances

OSHA & Practice Safety
April 20 - July 13, 2009

This course is designed for the Practice Owner, Manager or Administrator who desires to understand OSHA's Standards as well as practical ways to implement them in a veterinary practice. We attempt to avoid debating the merits of any particular requirement and focus on how to achieve compliance!

For information on other CE courses check out the Course Catalog on the CE Main Page.

Please visit How-To's Of Online CE for details about how to register and participate in online CE courses.

If you're looking for information on CE opportunities for veterinary technicians, receptionists or practice managers, please visit the VSPN CE page. VSPN offers courses tailored to veterinary support personnel, and certain VIN courses also are open to VPSN members.