Common to most successful societies throughout history is a form of the “Golden Rule” – do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Since day one, VIN has valued trust above all other assets. VINners trust VIN to serve only one master – you. To prevent even implied conflicts of interest from threatening this trust, VIN does not accept any sponsorships or advertising. VIN is fully supported by membership. VIN’s governance structure, codified in The Ten Commandments of VIN, ensures VIN will always maintain that commitment to you.

That trust must also extend between colleagues within the community.

Although we might want everyone to follow the rules all of the time, we know that expectation is not realistic for every rule in every situation, whether it's "thou shalt not murder" or "thou shalt not share VIN information off VIN."

For the most part, the VIN community has been amazingly successful at keeping our community veterinary-only, respectful and free of commercialism. But where there are breaches of confidentiality or respect, they undermine the trust within the community.

To explicitly state the responsibilities that come with being a citizen of the VIN community, we, as a community are adopting and asking all to be guided by a VINners’ Oath. As a Community, all are invited and encouraged to offer feedback on the VINners’ Oath by posting on the message boards or emailing paul@vin.com.