Please note that the VIN office will be closed on Tuesday, December 25 and Tuesday, January 1. Responses to calls and email may take a bit longer than usual during this time. Thanks in advance for your patience.

If you have a truly urgent issue, Paul's phone is always on -- 530-757-6881.

Select a case, formulate a diagnostic plan, and take the quiz to get feedback on your diagnostic choices. Each case is linked to the appropriate chapter of the online version of Small Animal Cardiovascular Medicine.

If your heart is aching for more, explore the Cardiology Specialty Center in the Specialty and Species Resource Center section of the VIN library and check out the Procedures and Techniques page.

Here are some additional useful Cardiology Resources in the VIN Library:

• The James Buchanan Cardiology Library
• Small Animal Cardiovascular Medicine
• Cardiac Auscultation and Phonocardiography
• Echocardiography in the Dog, Cat and Horse
• Cardiology Slide Shows & Videos
• Cardiology FAQs
• Canine and Comparative Mammalian Electrocardiography

Veterinary Forms and Client Handouts Collection
Thanks to the generosity of VINners, a collection of sample forms, clip art, and handouts are gathered in the Forms and Handouts section of the VIN Library.

Many of the forms can be downloaded as MS Word files that you can modify for use in your practice. More client handouts can be found in the Forms and Handouts section of the VIN Library.

Store YOUR NOTES in your MyStuff!
Tired of trying to organize your mountains of paper and field of computer files? Try out the 'Notes' feature for MyStuff on Beta.vin.com!

Select 'Add' from the MyStuff menu, title the note, and then hit "Add Notes."

Notes can be added to MyStuff alone or associated with links. To add a note to a link already stored in MyStuff, select 'modify' then 'Add Notes'. You can even encrypt your notes for added security.

If you want to be on the "bleeding edge," keep an eye on this section of VIN This Week to learn about the latest toys and make Beta.vin.com your VIN Homepage.

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

• Free pet food available by the ton
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Veterinary clinic collects holiday donations for military dogs
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Government orders veterinary-school accreditor to correct problems
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• When microchips muddle pet ownership status
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• AVMA’s role as education accreditor scrutinized
  Public | VIN | Discussion
• Is the doctor in?
  Public | VIN | Discussion

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

• Is this an Emergency?
• Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism (revised)

Texas Farm Radio

• Horse Behavior Principles for Safer Handling

ANIMALicious

• Loose Dogs on the Highway

The cutaneous trunci reflex for localising and grading thoracolumbar spinal cord injuries in dogs
Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the vertebral level of the cutaneous trunci reflex cut-off and the maximal and cranial lesion extent. The association between cutaneous trunci reflex cut-off and spinal cord injury severity was tested using a Mann-Whitney U test.

Pharmacokinetics after oral and intravenous administration of a single dose of tramadol hydrochloride to Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis)
Three formulations of oral suspension (crushed tablets in a commercially available suspension agent, crushed tablets in sterile water, and chemical-grade powder in sterile water) were evaluated. Plasma concentrations of tramadol and its major metabolites were measured via high-performance liquid chromatography.

Toxicokinetics of norditerpenoid alkaloids from low larkspur (Delphinium andersonii) orally administered to cattle
Cattle should be closely monitored for at least 36 hours after initial exposure. Additionally, a withdrawal time of approximately 7 days would be required to clear > 99% of the toxic alkaloids from the serum of cattle that have ingested low larkspur.

Malpractice Lawsuit Nightmare: Boss Promised Liability Insurance But Didn't Provide It, And Attorney I Hired Is Now Representing My Boss Too
I was a naive, brand new grad who accepted a position without a written contract after being told by the employer that liability insurance would be provided. Lesson learned. I hope others will learn, too.

How To Keep Track Of Controlled Drugs Used By Boarding Dogs
You don't log them into your inventory as you would for drugs you stock for your practice. Create an audit trail which consists of a disposition sheet specifically for those drugs. Double count them upon admission and have it witnessed, because people will make claims that you have stolen their controlled drugs.

Intact Female Diabetic Dog With Heart Murmur: Treatment Suggestions And Will Spaying Help Control The Diabetes?
There is no way to get the dog regulated while she is an intact female. In fact, if you spay an intact female diabetic dog fast enough after diagnosis, this is one of the few times that the diabetes can *resolve*.

VSPN Journal Club
Sunday, December 30, 9:30 p.m. ET
(Monday, December 31, 2:30 a.m. GMT/UTC)
Join Noah Jones, RVT for a VSPN Journal Club session.
*This session will feature audio. Take the readiness test before attending.

Full Rounds Schedule and Countdown Clock
Use the Rounds link to join these discussions

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?

• 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 @
• Respiratory Emergencies - VIN/VECCS
• Ultrasound Education and Training @

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 @.

Helping you Educate your Clients
Help your clients be better informed pet owners with the Client Education Resources listed in the VIN Library. Find even more no-cost, advertising-free, independent information that you can trust at VeterinaryPartner.com.

The VIN Client Brochure was created as an easy way to explain to clients how being a VIN member impacts the quality of veterinary care that you provide. It also highlights the VIN client handout website, VeterinaryPartner.com, where your clients can go to learn more about a health issue concerning their pets. VIN members can order a pack of 25 brochures for FREE in the VIN Bookstore.

Post a Medical Video
Want your VIN colleagues to take a peek at a case for you? Email your video to Videos@vin.com and the VIN multimedia team will compress and convert it to a format your fellow VINners can easily view on the message boards. Read the FAQ for detailed instructions.

Book Review of the Week
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Reproduction and Neonatology, Second Edition
Get it in the VIN Bookstore.
Catch up on previous Book Reviews!

Website of the Week
Chanukah
Safety Tips from Veterinary Partner
Winter Holiday Hazards from Veterinary Partner
Winter Solstice
Christmas At Rainbow Bridge
Christmas Cheer
Kwanzaa
What Is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day
New Year's Eve Webcams
A Healthy New Year
Healthy Resolutions
Popular New Year's Resolutions
New Year's Resolutions
Japanese New Year

eVetSites Tip of the Week
Preventing Font and Text Formatting Issues

What's your Diagnosis?
Archives of the Challenging and Fun Cases
Ophthalmology Fun 156 - Opened 11/28
Pathology Brain-Teaser 106 - Opened 11/5
Zoonosis Brain-Teaser 131 - Opened 12/10

Newest Medical FAQs
Teeth and Hearts
EpiPen Usage
Microchipping

Associate - Updated and New
Idiopathic Vestibular Disease in dogs
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 websites! Links to information about upcoming conferences include: NAVC, WVC, SAVMA, BSAVA, Voorjaarsdagen, ICARE, and IAAAM.

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

Seizure Management: Depolarization, Repolarization, and What we can do about it
January 1 - February 8, 2013

The primary purpose of this course is to provide an in depth understanding of how various anticonvulsants work and how to use this information to make decisions regarding which anticonvulsant to use for a given patient and when to alter the dose or change the drug.

QuickBooks for Veterinary Professionals
January 1 - 25, 2013

This is an introductory course in the use of QuickBooks with the veterinary professional in mind. This course is designed to instruct veterinarians, practice managers, office managers and bookkeepers how to set up the Chart of Accounts, properly enter transactions, and correctly format the financial statements to maximize the information available in QuickBooks. This will allow more informed financial management decisions.

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.