At 8 pm EDT (midnight, GMT), talk about feline ocular diseases with Robert J. Munger, DVM, DACVO. Come back at 10 pm EDT (02:00 am GMT) and Jenise Daigle, DVM, DACVD will help you figure out if it's feline alopecia or feline wackiness.

Use the Rounds link in the Main Navigation bar to join the discussion and to discover what other interesting rounds topics are coming soon.

Weekend CE has Gone to the Dogs!
If you're looking for some good CE on the West Coast but can't take a lot of time away from your practice, consider attending the 11th Annual Canine Medicine Symposium presented by the UCD Canine Medicine Club on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11. The symposium offers 12.5 hours of CE credit on a wide range of topics.

Review the proceedings from the 2007 Canine Medicine Symposium.

Microchip Survey results available in the VIN library!

The results of the Microchip Survey are summarized by geographic regions and practice types and were analyzed by brand of microchip where appropriate. Join the discussion.

If you participated in another survey and haven't seen the results, check the Survey Results in the Survey Section of the library.

Need Help?
Having trouble logging in to VIN? Questions about your membership? Can't find that reference you need for a tough case? Help is a click, email or phone call away! (Hint: you can find this page anytime by clicking HELP on the main VIN Navigation Bar).

New in VeterinaryPartner:

• Spinosad
• Poison-proof your Pet
• Vaccine Associated Fibrosarcoma (revised)
• Flea Product Comparison (revised)

Texas Farm Radio

• Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Toxicosis in Horses

Quality of life of the pet dog: influence of owner and dog's characteristics
Attachment to the owner was stronger for dogs with a long relationship and those belonging to people who had had previous experience with pets and those with many emotional bonds. Conversely, the attachment level was lower for pure breed dogs and those whose owners shared the property with other people.

Changes in gas composition and acid-base values of venous blood samples stored under different conditions in 4 domestic species
The results of this study underline the need for rapid assessment of acid-base samples, because any delay, even for 1 hour, may affect the results.

Endoscope-guided, transoral axial division of an entrapping epiglottic fold in fifteen standing horses
Axial division was successfully performed in 15 sedated, standing horses. One horse had to be anesthetized to complete the procedure. None of the horses made abnormal respiratory noise after surgery and all returned to their intended use. After surgery, 1 horse had a short, deformed epiglottis.

What should we do about negative Internet reviews?
All clients have their own take on a situation; our job is to try to explain how we see the situation as best as we can, let the client make his decision... and then do damage control on the crazies.

Does OSHA require alarms?
I doubt that you would ever be cited or fined by OSHA during a routing or complaint-type inspection, but if there is ever an employee injured because of violence in the workplace, OSHA could and would use the General Duty Clause (catch-all part of the law) if they believe the owner of the business didn't take security seriously enough.

Pros and cons of dental surgery: tooth extraction vs. root canal therapy
The hang up that I think most people have with root canal procedures is their own perception. A dog/cat goes to sleep, wakes up, and they are done. No post-operative healing time, no changes in diet, no concern of wound dehiscence.

Zoonotic and safety concerns for pregnant women working in large animal veterinary practice
I am a large animal veterinarian. I am 6 months pregnant. I am worried about dealing with any births (lambs, kids, calves, and camelids) from a zoonootic disease standpoint. What diseases do I need to worry about, what are the risks, and what should I do?

Sunday Rounds
Sunday, April 27, 10:00 pm EDT (April 28, 02:00 am GMT)
Join Jenise Daigle, DVM, DACVD for Feline Alopecia: A Psycho Cat or Just Itchy?

Virtual Coffeehouse
Tuesday, April 29, 9:30 pm EDT (April 30, 01:30 am GMT)
Stop by and chat with your fellow VIN addicts!

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

Recent Rounds
@ = VINcast is available for this session

Member Benefit:
Veterinary Journals Online
When you SEARCH VIN, you scan nearly 2 million content items. Within this mass of information are citations and abstracts relevant to veterinary practice from thousands of clinical and biomedical journals.

In the VIN Library, you'll find a complete (well, likely a few have been missed) collection of citations and abstracts (and sometimes more) from over 150 core veterinary journals.

Get More From VIN!
From The VINDEX: Have You Explored Associate Yet?
Associate can help you with your feline, canine, public health and foreign animal disease/bioterrorism questions.

How To Tips: Clearing Your Cache

Funny Bones:
The Squirrel Must Die
"Growing up my family called that "killing" the toy. Our dachshunds would immediately "kill" the toy, then chew off any protruding appendages, then leave it in the house/yard, and never look at it ever again"

What's Your Diagnosis?
* Ophthalmology Fun Video 1
* Ophthalmology Fun Video 2
* Ophthalmology Fun 51
* Ophthalmology Fun 52
* Archives of the Challenging And Fun Cases

Associate - Updated and New:
* Punctate Keratopathy in dogs
* Explore the rest of the Associate!

Website of the Week:
International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and more...

Book Review of the Week:
Equine Emergencies, Treatment, And Procedures (Third Edition)
Buy this book in the VIN Bookstore!

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: ABVP, IAAAM and AVA.

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

Veterinary Dental Techniques Module 5
Orthodontics and Maxillofacial Fractures
May 12 - June 7, 2008
Early bird deadline - April 28!

Instructors:
Steven Holmstrom, DVM, Dipl. AVDC (course coordinator)
Allen Matson, DVM, Dipl. AVDC

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.

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

Please visit How-To 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 specifically tailored to veterinary support personnel and certain VIN courses are also open to VPSN members.