Join Michele Gaspar, DVM, DABVP, this Sunday for When You've Gotta Punt: Empirical Practice In Feline Medicine and discuss how to implement Plan B.

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.

How Many Fat Felines and Pudgy Pooches Are Out There?
On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention will set out to obtain real-world data concerning pet obesity in the United States in the Second Annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Study.

Participating veterinarians will be asked to record simple information for each pet examined on that day. The goal of the study is to determine more accurately the exact number of pets in the United States that are overweight or obese. Participation should add no more than 1-2 minutes to your normal physical examination routine. This study is independent of any and all corporate sponsorships or involvements.

VIN Representatives: Improving Your VIN Experience Every Day!
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.

New Clinical Studies Seeking Participants
Between the demands of practice and personal life, your precious free time (if you have any) is probably limited. Did you know you can contribute to veterinary research without leaving your home or office?

Simply visit the Clinical Trials & Research Projects page to find a study recruiting patients. Be a part of the solution. Help lead the way in answering questions that matter.

• Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Non-Resectable Canine Urothelial Carcinoma
• Phase I Intravenous Docetaxel Treatment of Cats
• Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate and Polyethylene Glycol in Canine Spinal Cord Injury

If you have a patient who fits the criteria for any of these newly added clinical trials, click the link to see how to enroll. Check the clinical trials page to see if one of the other ongoing trials might make new or novel therapies available for your patients.

If you would like to add your clinical trial or research project, please complete this survey or contact mrishniw@vin.com.

New in VeterinaryPartner:

• Winterize your Pet
• Vincristine revised
• Helicobacter Infection revised

Texas Farm Radio

• Rehabilitation of Tendon Injuries in Horses

Anticoagulant rodenticide ingestion and toxicity: a retrospective study of 252 canine cases
Anticoagulant rodenticide rngestion and toxicity: a retrospective study of 252 canine cases
Although secondary poisoning of dogs via the ingestion of intoxicated rats is theoretically possible, it is highly unlikely. One study calculated that for a dog to receive a toxic dose of brodifacoum, it would need to ingest the equivalent of half its body weight in rats.

Choosing an injectable anaesthetic agent: characteristics of thiopentone, propofol, ketamine and alfaxalone in small animal clinical use
The clinician’s familiarity with the chosen agent is as important as choice of agent. The theoretical benefits of one agent over another can easily be lost by improper use.

Importance of house dust and storage mites in canine atopic dermatitis in the geographic region of Galicia, Spain
The study was performed on 95 dogs suffering from atopic dermatitis and presenting detectable specific serum IgE levels: 91.6% of the dogs tested positive for storage mites, whereas sensitisation to house dust mites was detected in 87.4%. These results indicate the importance of storage mites in this specific geographic area.

Health care benefits
It is a sad state of affairs that health insurance is so expensive, but I look at it as a moral obligation for me to provide it for my staff and I always have, in spite of the ever increasing costs. Every couple of years we have to re evaluate what we offer as our costs go up.

Understanding this pimobendan study
I really hate that the majority of drug studies are funded by the companies that manufacture the drugs as is the case with this study. Definitely leaves the question of bias in my mind but I realize it can be difficult to find funding for research.

Preventing hypoglycemia in yorkshire terriers and other toy breed puppies; deworming schedule for puppies and dam
Toy breeds have tiny, immature livers that don't hold much glycogen. If pups don't eat an appropriate diet often enough, or if they lose too much via diarrhea, they can't keep their blood glucose up.

What role does punishment have in changing the undesirable behavior of pets
Keep in mind that punishment tells a dog what "not to do" but does not give any information about what "to do". In the long run, it is more effective, humane and easier to teach the dog what you want it to do rather than punish what you do not want.

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

How To Use VIN: Part 1
Wednesday, October 1, 9:30 pm EDT
(October 2, 01:30 am GMT)
Learn how to be a Super VINner!
Email Nate@VIN.com for more information about this free, three-session course.

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

• Myths & Facts About Investing
• 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:
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!
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.

Funny Bones:
Crazy flea remedies
"Obviously her cat's fleas were too clever to fall for that old trick."

What's Your Diagnosis?
* Ophthalmology Fun 64
* Ophthalmology Fun 65
*Archives of the Challenging and Fun Cases

Book Review of the Week:
Veterinary Technician's Daily Reference Guide
Purchase it in the VIN Bookstore!

Website of the Week:
How To Locate A Wildlife Rehabber and more...

eVetsitesTip of the Week:
Flash Animations for eVetsites

Associate - Updated and New:
* Hypomagnesemia in Dogs and Cats.
* 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: Veterinary Dental Forum, SWVS, ACVC, WWVC, VCS, ACVR, ACVS and CVC West.

These courses are now open for enrollment. Click on the links below to see the details, register and find more upcoming CE.

Practical Avian Medicine Module 1
Introduction to Birds
October 7 - October 21, 2008

Module 1 will cover the following topics: Avian anatomy and physiology, ID and classification, husbandry and nutrition.

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.