The VINner lounge will be in the room behind the VIN Cyber Cafe at the Breakers Registration Desk in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center South Level 2.

The red arrow on this map will help you find the VINner Lounge, which is also one of the two VIN Cyber Cafe locations.

At the VINner Lounge, you can:

• Enjoy refreshments and snacks
• Relax
• Talk to other VINners
• Learn how to get more out of VIN
• Learn about the VIN Foundation
• Learn how VSPN can help your staff
• Get a sneak preview of what is coming to VIN soon
• Tell us what you want from VIN and the VIN community!

Throughout the conference, VIN Staff will be available at both Cyber Cafe locations -- one in the exhibit hall and one at the Breakers Registration Desk (Mandalay Bay Convention Center South Level 2).

See you in Las Vegas!

The message boards automatically save for you every 60 seconds, so even if you get called away to an emergency in the middle of posting... no worries! You can come back later and pick up right where you left off.

To find your draft if you were posting a new discussion:
1. Click the Post New button.
2. Click the Open Drafts button.
3. Click to highlight the draft you want from the list on the left side.
4. Click the Select Draft button.
5. Continue composing your post as you normally would, and Post Message.

If you were replying to an existing discussion:
1. Navigate to the specific discussion thread.
2. Click the 'Reply' button
3. Click the Open Drafts button
(make sure the Replies tab is selected)
4. Click to highlight the draft you want from the list on the left side.
5. Click the Select Draft button.
6. Continue composing your post as you normally would, and Post Message.

How to Establish a Blood Bank
Establishing a blood bank can ensure that there is an available supply of blood, plasma, and platelets sufficient to meet a clinic’s transfusion needs. Wondering where to begin?

VIN consultant Dr. Sally Lester (with videos by Dr. Joe Musielak) has created a Blood Banking Manual to help you answer this question. Thanks Sally (and Joe)!

Find the Blood Banking Manual in the Books section of the VIN Library and in the Hematology & Emergency Medicine Specialty Centers.

Change your VIN Password and Secondary Security Information
Many online security professionals recommend changing your password every 3 to 6 months.

Changing your VIN password and secondary security information is simpler, quicker and even easier than ever. Log in to your account with your current password then click on MyVIN > Membership and choose Change your Password or Change Secondary Security.

If you need more help, please contact membership services directly.

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

• Changing insulin brands may disrupt diabetics
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Shift worker syndrome impacts some veterinarians
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Could pet deworming regimen fuel parasite resistance?
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Influx of veterinary colleges on horizon
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Task force to alter AVMA governance regroups after backlash
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• VIN solicits jerky-associated illness reports
  Public | VIN | Discussion

Evolving:
*Hazard communication: MSDSs vs. SDSs
*GHLIT pursues health insurance exchange

Be a VIN newshound:
VIN News Service (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.

The VIN News Service (without access to the community discussions) is available to the general public. Share news.vin.com with nonVINners.

Follow VNS on Twitter! Send a Twitter request to receive VNS Tweets.

New and Revised Articles to Share With Your Clients!

Veterinary Partner

• Let your Vet Help Keep your Pet Healthy and you'll Save in the Long Run
• Theophylline (Theo-Dur) revised

Texas Farm Radio

• Health Effects of Restricted Grazing

Animalicious

• The Wild, the Weird, and the Wacky: Unfamiliar Species

Chemical immobilization of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a combination of detomidine and ketamine
The combination detomidine (60 μg kg(-1) ) and ketamine (5-6 mg kg(-1) ) can be used for the immobilization of chimpanzees for non- to minimally invasive procedures. A period of 15 minutes should be allowed before handling to avoid unwanted arousal. Oxygen administration is recommended to reduce hypoxaemia. Administration of atipamezole is justified to hasten recovery.

Reference ranges for laboratory parameters in ferrets
Current literature concerning reference values in ferrets is often based on small patient numbers, methods of blood sampling not suitable for practice, and outdated laboratory methods.

Hemostatic response to surgical neutering via ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy in dogs
Objective-To investigate the hemostatic response to surgery and compare the response for ovariohysterectomy with that for ovariectomy and to evaluate the usefulness of thromboelastography on plasma samples. Animals-42 female dogs. Procedures-Dogs were assigned to undergo ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy.

Is There Such A Thing As Ethical Advertising For Veterinarians?
I have always felt that advertising in veterinary medicine is slightly distasteful and slightly unethical. I am beginning to wonder if I am a dinosaur in respect to this.

Can VIN Rounds Be Accessed With An iPad?
Yesterday I tried another browser (Photon) for the iPad. It is great. In streaming mode, it runs UNITY seamlessly -- sound and all.

Bilateral Thyroid Mass In A Puppy
A CT scan with contrast or an MRI would be helpful to help determine the anatomical etiology of the mass and see where it is in relation to adjacent structures. Otherwise, surgical exploration of the cervical area may be needed.

Donkey With Refractory Corneal Ulcer That Was Initially Due To Cockleburs Between The Eyelids
I have dealt with many horses with cocklebur (Burdock Pappus Bristle Keratopathy). Before I would consider this to be an indolent ulcer, I would go on the hunt for more bristles embedded in the conjunctiva. Some act like switch blades and will pop out only with eyelid manipulation.

VIN Job Seekers Group
Tuesday, February 5, 10 p.m. ET
(Wednesday, February 6, 3 a.m. GMT/UTC)
Come join your VIN colleagues in a supportive group for Job Seekers.
*This session will feature audio. Take the readiness test before attending.

How to Use VIN: Part 1
Wednesday, February 6, 9:30 p.m. ET
(Thursday, February 7, 2:30 a.m. GMT/UTC)
Learn how to use the most popular VIN features.
Email HowTo@VIN.com for more information about this free, three-session course.

VIN Journal Club
Thursday, February 7, 1 p.m. ET
(Thursday, February 8, 6 p.m. GMT/UTC)
Join Sherri Wilson, DVM, DACVIM, to discuss an internal medicine paper. Holowaychuk, MK, Martin, LG. Review of hypocalcemia in septic patients.
J Vet Emerg Crit Care December 2007;17(4):348-358.

All VIN members are welcome to attend this monthly series. Find details, including how to obtain a free copy of the fulltext article here.

Use the Rounds link in the main navigation bar to join these discussions.

Full Rounds Schedule and Countdown Clock
*COMING SOON: SUNDAY ROUNDS (February 10 @ 9 p.m. ET)
Join Ed Guiducci, JD, & Michael Porrello, CPA, CVA for Practice/Real Estate Purchase Financing.

Need help remembering when Rounds sessions are happening? Check out the list of ways to be reminded about VIN Rounds sessions.

Want to See What You've Been Missing?

• Contaminated Jerky Treats
• Feeding the Critically Ill - VIN/VECCS
• Hot Nutrition Topics in Cats
• Dermatology Myths Debunked @
• Approach to Pruritis @
• Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Find Me a Job @
• Delivery of the Foal - VIN/VECCS
• Ultrasound Machine 3: Practice Profit Center @
• Adapt or Die @
• Fracture Healing after MIPO - Journal Club
• Fluid Therapy for Oncotically-challenged @

Download VINCasts
Too busy to read past Rounds sessions? Download VINCasts to your MP3 player and listen on the go. Rounds available as VINCasts are marked with an @.

REMEMBER! VIN does not send unsolicited files attached to email.
For your protection, never download attached files unless:

• You requested them.
• Your up-to-date antivirus program says they are clean.

Hackers are always finding new ways to hide worms and viruses in email messages that appear to be legitimate. Be aware, take care! Learn more about email viruses, hoaxes, phishing and hyperlink safety.

Let the Good Times Roar!
Louisiana State University will host the 42nd Annual SAVMA Symposium in Baton Rouge, March 21 - 23. Registration is now open. Keep an eye out for the proceedings to be released on VIN later this fall.

Book Review of the Week
Purchasing Digital Radiography Without Getting Your Head Handed To You
Catch up on previous Book Reviews!

Website of the Week
Rare Genomics Institute

What's your Diagnosis?
Ophthalmology Fun 158 - Opened 1/28
Pathology Brain-Teaser 108 - Opened 1/29
Archives of the Challenging and Fun Cases

eVetsites Tip
Social Media Icons

Show-Me-How Video
Basic Skills for Windows

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 websites! Links to information about upcoming conferences include: WVC, SAVMA, BSAVA, Voorjaarsdagen, ICARE, and IAAAM.

WTF Moment to Start Your Day
I walk into the clinic in the morning and overhear the conversation between the assistant and an owner bringing her cat for spay...
- So she hasn't had breakfast?
- No. But she's had kittens, if that makes any difference.

NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT!
Click on the links below to see the details, register, and find more upcoming CE.

ECM Review Module 1 – Rabbits
January 9 - February 2, 2013

This course is the first of four modules in the ECM (Exotic Companion Mammal) Review series. Each course focuses on specific exotic companion mammal species, covering the medicine and disease presentations common to that species.

ECM Review Module 2 – Ferrets
February 6 - March 2, 2013

This course is the second of four modules in the ECM (Exotic Companion Mammal) Review series. Each course focuses on specific exotic companion mammal species, covering the medicine and disease presentations common to that species. The focus of this course is ferrets.

Resources for New and Returning VIN CE Participants
If you're new to VIN online CE or just need a refresher for an upcoming course, visit the new CE Practice Area and the CE Participant Resource Center for some helpful tips.

To get the most from your CE course, plan to attend a practice session before your course begins. Practice sessions are scheduled for the same days and times each week for your convenience:

• Tuesday afternoons 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
• Wednesday evenings 10:00 - 11:00 p.m. ET
• Thursday evenings 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. ET

Check the World Clock Time Zone Converter to confirm the time for your area.

For more information on CE opportunities for veterinary technicians, receptionists, or practice managers, visit the VSPN Course Catalog. VSPN offers courses tailored to veterinary support personnel, and certain VIN courses also are open to VSPN members.

Follow VIN CE and VSPN on Twitter! Click the "Send request" button to prompt the (VIN / VSPN) crews to accept you as a follower.

Visit the CE Main Page and check out the Course Catalog to see what's on the schedule.