Use the Rounds link in the Main Navigation bar to join the discussion. To find out what other interesting rounds topics are coming soon, see This Week's Rounds Schedule.

NEWS THAT'S FIT TO CLICK...and discuss
News reported for YOU...
Learn more about the VIN News Service (VNS); help make the VNS what you want it to be by sharing WHAT YOU THINK with the VNS staff and all VINners.

Help Our Colleagues. If you or your clients want to help veterinary colleagues in the aftermath of Gustav and Ike, the VIN Foundation has set up an easy way to donate via credit card. Help Our Colleagues

(VIN and the VIN Foundation are contributing to the effort financially as well as supporting all development efforts for the donation system and paying all credit card transaction fees)

VIN Representatives: Improving Your VIN Experience Every Day!
Every veterinarian member of VIN is paired with a buddy from the VIN Representative team: a dedicated group of VINners who volunteer their time to help their colleagues get the most from VIN.

The VIN Representatives NEED YOUR HELP. They want to know how to better help you and all VINners.

Please complete this quick survey to tell the VIN Reps how you learned to use VIN and what you think VIN could do to make that process easier for you and all VINners.

Don't remember who YOUR VIN buddy is? Email VINgram@vin.com and we'll be happy to remind you and let your buddy know you want to get re-introduced.

The Eyes Have It (and now it's all in one place)!
Ophthalmic resources from many different areas on VIN have been brought together in the Ophthalmology Specialty Center. Browse commonly used material on eye diseases or find answers to ophthalmology questions - all in the blink of an eye!

The Ophthalmology Center can be found in the Species and Specialty area of the VIN library and on the About Page of the Ophthalmology folder in the VIN message boards. Keep your eyes peeled for more new information centers coming soon!

New in VeterinaryPartner:

• Bite Prevention Starts with Proactive Parenting
• Kennel Cough revised
• Piroxicam revised

Texas Farm Radio

• Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM)

Lyme carditis
Cardiovascular manifestations of Lyme disease were first reported nearly 30 years ago. This article describes Lyme carditis, its epidemiology, pathophysiology, methods of diagnosis, and treatment options.

Toxicological effects of diclofenac in four avian species
Clinical signs in all species included depression, somnolence, decreased body weight, and mortality. Severity of clinical disease increased in a dose-related manner and was most severe in broiler chicks, followed by pigeons, Japanese quail, and was least severe in mynah. Serum creatinine levels were elevated in all species. Broiler chicks and pigeons administered 10 and 20 mg diclofenac/kg had visceral gout; however, this was not observed in Japanese quail and mynah.

Pergolide and cyproheptadine: which medication to choose for treatment of equine cushing's disease?
All horses do not respond to pergolide. In fact, some have no clinical or laboratory response even when doses up to 5 mg/horse dose is used. My standard starting dose is 1 to 2 mg for an adult horse and 0.5 to 1.0 mg for a pony.

The economic blues
Now I am sure many of you don’t feel as “blue” as I do about the economy. But in 25 years in this industry, I have NEVER SEEN so many bad signs in our economy all at once. (And I was working during the 1990 – 1991 recession.) But here is my suggestion, be cautious with your spending.

Melamine in human food: what's the story?
If these news reports are using the terminology "kidney stones" loosely to include primarily urinary crystals and crystals forming in the kidneys, then the possibility of ingredients contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid, similar to the occurrence in the recent US Menu pet food recall, should be considered.

Problems with internet pharmacies: what to say to clients if I refuse to fax prescription
My personal physician's office has a notation that it will no longer fax to pharmacies due to communication mishaps. Ha! It is even happening in human medicine.

Fosamax (Alendronate) in a cat: how to minimize risk of esophagitis: risk of adverse effects varies with dosage form and brand pharmacokinetics
Liquid suspension may be just as bad as or worse than tablets. It appears that the contact with the esophagus causes erosion, so liquid preps would probably coat the esophagus more than tablets or gels. Also, it is a good idea to wash down with copious amounts of water to reduce any residue in the esophagus.

Virtual Coffeehouse
Tuesday, September 23, 9:30 p.m. EDT
(September 24, 1:30 a.m. GMT)
Stop by and chat with your fellow VIN addicts!

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

• Tumors Of The Urogenital System~AAFP Rounds
• Vet Techs Add Value to the Practice
• Quality Control of In House Labs @
• Compounding Controversies @
• The VIN Community: For Vets by Vets @
• The Art of Fecal Analysis @
• Veterinary Quiz Challenge

Member Benefit:
The VIN Bookstore is better than ever!
During the past year, visibility and promotion of the VIN Bookstore as a VIN member benefit was greatly reduced. Why? Because despite the savings available, long delivery times diminished the 'benefit'. We are happy to report that those issues have been resolved...and that once again the VIN Bookstore is truly a member benefit. VIN Members save 10% or more off the list price every day and free shipping on US orders of $90.00 or more. Please tell us what you think.

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.

Funny Bones:
Squirrel Melts!
"I'm not big on mayo, but you have to get the squirrel meat to stick to the celery somehow."

What's Your Diagnosis?
*Dental Brain Teaser 73
*Archives of the Challenging and Fun Cases

Website of the Week:
Veterinary World and more...

Associate - Updated and New:
* When does hyperphosphatemia cause calcification of soft tissues?
* Explore the rest of Associate!

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: AAFP, ESFM, Veterinary Dental Forum and SWVS.

These courses are now open for enrollment. Click on the links below to see the details, register and find more upcoming CE.
Introduction to Canine Rehabilitation
November 12 - November 26, 2008

Physical rehabilitation has recently gained acceptance as a useful therapy to improve postoperative outcomes and enhance function in animals with disabilities. This course will give a general overview of assessment and treatment of a dog with an orthopedic dysfunction and present ways to begin incorporating rehabilitation into your practice, with minimal investment.

Veterinary Acupuncture - Fundamental Principles
February 24 - March 31, 2009

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) can be difficult to understand. This course is designed to provide veterinarians with detailed information on a simple and logical way to grasp the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and veterinary acupuncture. This course will consist of five (5), 2-hour real-time sessions, detailed presentations with basic theories and clinical case examples on all topics.

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 specifically tailored to veterinary support personnel, and certain VIN courses also are open to VPSN members.