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The Latest Recalls
Just when you thought the rash of pet food recalls was ebbing, there are two new ones. Wal-Mart has recalled Chicken Jerky Strips for suspected melamine contamination and Mars Petcare has recalled certain bags of Krasdale Gravy and Red Flannel dry dog food for possible Salmonella contamination. Read the Message Board discussions (linked above) for more details and watch the VIN Front Page for breaking news.

Stay Safe at Work and at Home!
Sometimes bad things happen to good people. These VIN resources were created to help you, your staff, your clients and your patients avoid some of those bad things:

• The VIN OSHA Center, hosted by Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT, provides safety information from anesthesia, electricity, sharps and more.
• MSDS sheets puts chemical safety at your fingertips.
• VINner discussion on how to protect staff from violence at veterinary clinics.
• Patterns of Behavior for Safety (Canine) and other VeterinaryPartner.com resources educate your clients on pet safety.
• The Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings, 2007

In case you were unable to attend..
ACVC 2006 Proceedings Online - Browse by speaker/category or search by topic.

• Register for ACVC 2007, October 9-11 in Atlantic City!
  

Featured Book:
Clinical Veterinary Advisor - Dogs and Cats, Cote, 2007 is now available (along with other great books!) in the VIN Bookstore.

New in VeterinaryPartner:

• Getting to "Good"
• Kidney Transplants for Cats and Dogs (revised)
• Chronic Renal Failure Links

Texas Farm Radio:

• Melanoma in Horses 12/14/06
• Training Methods for Horses 1/4/07

Diagnoses and clinical outcomes associated with surgically amputated canine digits submitted to multiple veterinary diagnostic laboratories
Squamous cell carcinoma was the most commonly identified tumor (36.3%), and 11 of 42 dogs for which clinical follow-up information was available developed metastatic disease. Squamous cell carcinoma of the digit appears to have a greater metastatic potential than that occurring elsewhere in the body. Other common diagnoses included melanoma (17.3%), soft-tissue sarcoma (9.7%), and mast cell tumor (6.7%). Melanomas were associated with poor prognoses, with a median survival time of 365 days.

Clinical evaluation of imidapril in congestive heart failure in dogs: results of the EFFIC study
The success rate in the imidapril group was 66 per cent compared with 68 per cent in the benazepril group. Regarding safety, 35 dogs in each group experienced at least one adverse event. Nine dogs in each group experienced at least one serious adverse event. The difference between these results was not statistically significant. Imidapril is as efficacious and safe as the reference product, benazepril.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns and antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes for coagulase-positive staphylococcal isolates from pustules and carriage sites in dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis
In dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis, most coagulase-positive staphylococcal isolates from pustules that are genotypically the same strain will have the same susceptibility phenotype and treatment may be based on empiric antimicrobial selection or susceptibility testing of 1 lesional isolate.

Distribution of lesions and antigen of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A/Swan/Germany/R65/06 (H5N1) in domestic cats after presumptive infection by wild birds
Hepatic necrosis was, besides bronchointerstitial pneumonia, the primary lesion, suggesting that in naturally infected cats, damage to the liver plays an important role in the pathogenesis of H5N1 influenza.

Boss wants to switch to prosal
I am beginning my 2nd year at a 2 doctor practice. Last year I was paid a salary with a benefits package. My boss has proposed a ProSal situation for the upcoming year. I'm nervous because the clinic is not that busy and when I look at my current salary and benefits, I'm already making 24-25% or more than my production.

Flame retardants and hyperthyroidism
If this is true, it's very, very interesting. I have the usual question when people make statements about a "huge increase in the diagnosis of disease X', which is - has there actually been an increase in disease X, or have we just started recognizing disease X? Prior to the 1980s, was hyperthyroidism just unrecognized, or attributed to "old age"? Or did it truly not exist?

Bartonella testing
Have a client who brought her newly adopted cat to us. States she said to run all the tests necessary as she had chronic emphysema and didn't want to catch anything. My new associate took care of the cat.
Cat comes back 2 months later for declaw. Technician mentioned testing for bartonella on the cat. Test comes back highly positive.
Owner angry that cat was not tested initially and that she may have contracted Bartonella.

Collie eye anomaly test available
I have a client with a Border Collie that is requesting a DNA test for Collie Eye Anomaly. Is there such a thing yet, and do you have lab info for me to send it?

• Join the discussion

Virtual Coffeehouse
Tuesday, August 28, 9:30 pm EDT (August 29, 01:30 am GMT)
Stop by and chat with your colleagues. Use the Coffeehouse link in the Rounds area to join the discussion.
This Week's Rounds Schedule

EBM Journal Club
Tuesday, August 28, 10 pm EDT (August 29, 02:00 am GMT)
Join your colleagues for the next meeting of the Evidence Based Medicine Journal Club.
Review the introductory transcript.
Attend the EBM Journal Club.

Recent Rounds
@ = VINcast is available for this session

Member Benefit:
Show your VINner Pride!
Proudly display your VIN membership with a client brochure, static cling window decal and electronic decal for your web site.

Associate - Updated and New:
* Updated information on bone cysts in dogs
*Explore the rest of the Associate!

What's Your Diagnosis?
* Dental Brain Teaser 66
* Dermatology Fun 3
* Case Archives

Website Of The Week:
Drug Compounding and more...

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.

If you'd like to take the live sessions, email 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.

eVetsites Tip of the Week:
Forms/ Files - Linking Text Instructions

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: ECVIM, CVC Central and IVECCS.

Book Review of the Week:
Introduction to Veterinary and Comparative Forensic Medicine
You can purchase this book in the VIN store.

These courses are currently open for enrollment. Click on the links to see the details and enroll!
For More Information on VIN's Upcoming CE Courses, check out the CE Main Page.

Dentistry:

Veterinary Dental Techniques Module 1
Dental Records, Equipment and Care
August 14 - September 25, 2007

Veterinary Dental Techniques Module 2
Radiology and Periodontics
October 9 - November 6, 2007

Veterinary Dental Techniques Module 3
Advanced Periodontics and Exodontics
November 6 - December 4, 2007

Internal Medicine:

What Makes Cats Tick? Feline Internal Medicine Module 4
Dermatology and Behavior topics
August 15 - September 19, 2007

Organ System and ABVP Core Examination Review Module C
Hematology/Chemistry, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Reproduction and Cardiology topics
August 16 - October 25, 2007

Exotic and Emerging Animal Diseases: Remembering the Zebras
October 3 - November 14, 2007

What Makes Cats Tick? Feline Internal Medicine Module 5
Therapeutics, Anesthesia, Analgesia and Dental topics
October 31 - December 12, 2007

Nutrition:

Current Issues in Small Animal Nutrition
August 26 - September 2, 2007

Oncology:

Radiation and Surgical Oncology
September 10 - October 1, 2007

Please visit the How-to's of Online CE for more information about how online CE courses work.

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.