The AAVN Case Report Competition is divided into two categories: (1) Companion Animal Case Report Competition, sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition; and (2) Large Animal and Equine Case Report Competition, sponsored by Purina Mills.  The Companion Animal Case Report Competition is open to veterinary students, interns, residents, and graduate students doing work in a veterinary college program. The Large Animal and Equine Case Report Competition is open to veterinary students, interns, residents, and graduate students pursuing an advanced degree in veterinary or animal nutrition. The 1st place winner of each category will receive a $500.00 travel grant to the 2013 AAVN Research Symposium on June 12^th in Seattle, WA. The 2nd and 3^rd place winners in each category will receive honorable mention and an acknowledgement in the AAVN Summer Newsletter.

Case Report Format:

Title: The title should be succinct and relevant to the case report subject.

Author's Name and College Address: First author must be enrolled as a full-time veterinary student and able to provide a copy of current transcript which will suffice as appropriate documentation of enrollment.

Introduction: The introduction should state the purpose of the case report, a brief review of the problem and a summary of the pertinent and current literature. This section should not exceed one typed page.

Clinical Report: The body of the case report should include a medical and dietary history, physical findings (including body condition score evaluation, skin and coat evaluation, etc), caloric calculations, diagnostic methods and results (e.g. laboratory and radiological findings, differential diagnoses, treatment and results, necropsy findings (when appropriate)), final diagnoses and outcome of the case.

Discussion: The discussion involves a subjective critique by the author of the clinical report, including views on the problem(s) that was/were identified and the management of the problem(s). This is different from the clinical report, in which clinical findings are objective. No new information should be added in the discussion.

Conclusion: In 200 words or less, the author should draw conclusions from their findings and suggest future directions (if applicable).

References: References should be listed in order of citation in the text.

Submission Guidelines:
Companion animal case reports should be based on a relevant clinical case of an individual client-owned animal. Large animal and equine case reports should also be based on a relevant clinical case of either an individually owned animal or a herd, and should not involve animals included in a research program. Case reports should not be previously published in any peer-reviewed journals. The report should include complete and appropriate diagnostic workups and dietary, medical and/or surgical managements. The manuscript should reflect your veterinary expertise, demonstrate your ability to use medical and nutritional principles in the diagnosis and treatment of animals, and display your ability to communicate medical and nutritional observations and data in an organized manner. Manuscripts which make a contribution to or support the existing literature are encouraged. Many students will not have experience as authors and are encouraged to consult someone with experience in publishing in refereed journals; however, any assistance should pertain to style rather than content.

Case reports and supporting illustrations should be submitted on a CD using Microsoft Word 98 or higher. All tabular data should be on a separate sheet with an appropriate legend. All images should be submitted in a JPEG format accompanied with the appropriate legend corresponding with the case report. Supporting illustrations (e.g. radiographs, photographs, electrocardiograms, line drawings, etc.) must be submitted in high quality computer-generated graphics. The AAVN Student Case Report Committee will review the manuscripts and assign a score using a rubric to assess written communication skills, medical and nutrition knowledge. All participants will be notified by mail of the results no later than 5:00pm EST April 26, 2013.

Case report entries should be mailed to the address below and be postmarked no later than March 15, 2013.

Contacts:
Dr. Amanda Ardente, AAVN Secretary

Dr. Wilbur Amand, AAVN Executive Director

Case report entries should be mailed to:
AAVN Student Case Report Contest
2204 NW 2^nd Ave

Gainesville, FL 32603