Читать книгу Feline Dentistry - Jan Bellows - Страница 9

Feline Dentistry Second edition is dedicated personally to my wife Allison, our children Wendi, David, and Lauren as well as our cats Lacey, Prissy, Onxy, Marble, and Jasper

The text is dedicated professionally to Dr. Paul D. Pion, the co‐founder and president of Veterinary Information Network (VIN)

Paul Pion received his DVM from Cornell University (1983). He then did an internship at The Animal Medical Center (1983–1984), a post‐doctoral fellowship in pharmacology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons (1984), and a cardiology residency at UC‐Davis (1985–1987). He became an ACVIM (Cardiology) Diplomate in 1988.

His veterinary practice career has included: a house call practice in Manhattan, NY, a cardiology referral practice, staff cardiologist at the West Los Angeles Veterinary Medical Group, staff cardiologist at the Veterinary Cardiology Services (Sacramento, CA), and cardiology/physiology instructor and researcher at UC‐Davis. Some of his professional awards and accomplishments include an NIH Physician Scientist Award, the Purina Small Animal Research Award, the AAHA Special Recognition Award, co‐authorship of Cats for Dummies, medical consultant for Dogs for Dummies, veterinary advisor for the Winn Feline Foundation, the Vet Partners Pioneer Award, the Distinguished Alumni award from UC Davis, the Salmon Award from his alma mater, Cornell, and numerous academic publications, textbook chapters, and lectures. He is best known for co‐founding VIN and for his discovery of the association between taurine deficiency and feline dilated cardiomyopathy. The taurine discovery was initially published as a cover article in SCIENCE and led to the reformulation of commercial cat foods, resulting in near elimination of what was once the most common fatal feline heart disease.

My reason for dedicating this textbook to Paul is to thank him for his creation and his determined commitment to create a platform where veterinarians could become a community. Since 1991, VIN has been the number one online veterinary destination – and always has been and always will be – for veterinarians, by veterinarians without corporation intrusion. Those who don't “know” VIN, likely think VIN is a website. But VIN members (VINners) quickly recognize that although VIN is a “site” on the “web”, it is much more than a website. Like many “sites on the web”, VIN has lots of features – databases, message boards, conference rooms, online proceedings, and much more. And although those features help busy veterinarians be the best clinicians they can be, those features are not what VIN is all about.

VIN is a place. VIN is home to over 90 000 colleagues.

Much more than the sum of its parts (“features”), VIN provides what no other organization or service in our profession has been able to.

In 2021, VIN celebrates its 30th VIN anniversary. Simply stated, VIN's greatest accomplishments, achieved before there was a World Wide Web, are:

 Bringing together veterinarians “world‐wide” as colleagues. All too often the primary contacts most veterinarians have are with other veterinarians in their own town. In some cities these “neighbors” are neighborly and collegial. But all too often, they view each other as competitors rather than as colleagues. VIN has enabled veterinarians to “leap” over the “competitor” down the block or across town and find true colleagues in the next county, state, or country to support their passion for veterinary medicine.

 Bringing instant access to vast amounts of up‐to‐date veterinary information to colleagues. Until VIN, most couldn't subscribe to many journals and certainly couldn't afford to build a library large enough to serve their information needs. And even if they did subscribe to many journals and buy all the textbooks available, the time it takes to publish most texts and journals guarantees that some of the information contained in the newest editions is already “out of date.”

 Building communication with colleagues (including specialists) to help individual practitioners to recognize what in their practice might need updating.

 Bringing instant access to “breaking news” that affects veterinarians, their patients and their practice. Whether it is a new drug, treatment, virus, or just a rethinking of old ways, the first place most VINners hear about it is on VIN. And more than just consuming new information, more and more VINners participate in the process of generating and assessing new information. No longer do those in academic or large specialty practice monopolize the generation of and access to cutting‐edge information.

 Bringing together colleagues with specialized knowledge and skills. Before VIN, many veterinarians had limited access to specialists, depending upon a few local boarded specialists or “mavens.” While local specialists are wonderful resources that all colleagues should support, VIN adds access to tens of thousands of colleagues (generalists and specialists) with diverse backgrounds, opinions, and a vast array of experiences.

Paul also made available VIN resources – including literature searches, articles, and use of VIN's most talented illustrator Tamara Rees – for this text. And although it might seem paradoxical to dedicate this volume to someone who admits to having done only a few ultrasonic “dentals” during his internship I can think of no worthier person for this honor than the leader of VIN, and my friend and colleague, Dr. Paul Pion.