Why attend LeishVet UP!

Canine and feline leishmaniosis is not new. Most of us have been managing it for years. But it remains one of those diseases that tests clinical judgement.

Diagnosis is rarely binary. Serology results require interpretation, not just reading. PCR has its place, but context is everything. Clinical staging influences decisions. And then there is the grey area between exposure, infection and active disease. That grey area is where most consultations actually live.

Treatment is no less nuanced. We have established protocols, yes. We understand the role of allopurinol, miltefosine, antimonials. We discuss duration, monitoring, relapses. But every patient brings variables. Renal compromise. Owner compliance. Financial limitations. Concurrent disease. Travel history.

Prevention adds another layer. Vaccination strategies. Repellents. Public health considerations. Changing epidemiology in non endemic countries. Clients who move across borders.

None of this is simplistic. And you don’t need simplistic answers.

What makes LeishVet UP! different is that it has been designed around this reality. The focus is practical decision making based on real clinical cases. Not abstract data presented in isolation, but how that data translates into what you do at 4.30 pm on a busy Friday.

LeishVet is not a commercial entity. It is a scientific group dedicated to advancing knowledge on leishmaniosis in veterinary medicine. Over the years, their guidelines have shaped how many of us diagnose and treat this disease.

At UP!, the entire LeishVet group will be present alongside leading experts. That detail matters. This is not a lecture delivered by someone loosely connected to the topic. These are clinicians and researchers who have been directly involved in building the evidence base and translating it into recommendations.

There is something uniquely valuable about being able to ask, in person, “In this specific scenario, what would you do?”

Because let’s be honest. Guidelines are essential. But they are not a substitute for clinical discussion. Real world medicine involves nuance, compromise and sometimes uncertainty.

Having direct access to that level of expertise, in a setting intentionally built for exchange, is rare. And it is refreshing.

Many conferences dedicate large portions of time to abstract presentations. Research is vital. New data drives progress. But if your daily work is heavily clinical, you may have experienced that slight disconnect. Interesting data, yes. Immediately applicable? Not always.

LeishVet UP! has deliberately chosen not to include abstract research presentations this time. Instead, the focus is on updates that directly impact practitioners. Diagnostic approaches. Treatment strategies. Preventive measures. All grounded in case based discussion.

This doesn’t mean science is sidelined. Quite the opposite. The science underpins every recommendation. But the delivery is filtered through the lens of clinical practicality.

That shift in emphasis signals something important. This event is built for you, the practitioner navigating leishmaniosis in real patients, not just in theory.

These are not beginner questions. They are thoughtful, experience based reflections. And they deserve thoughtful answers.

An event like this creates space for those conversations. Not rushed. Not squeezed into the last five minutes of a session. But integrated into the learning process.

You will likely find that many colleagues share the same doubts. That shared recognition can be surprisingly reassuring. It normalises the complexity of the disease and reinforces that careful questioning is part of good medicine.

Let’s keep this realistic.

You will not leave with a magical protocol that eliminates all uncertainty. Medicine does not work like that.

What you can expect is sharper diagnostic reasoning. Greater clarity about staging and treatment decisions. Updated insight into preventive strategies. And perhaps most importantly, increased confidence in explaining your approach to clients.

Confidence does not come from memorising slides. It comes from understanding why you are making a decision.

When you can explain to an owner, calmly and clearly, why you recommend a particular diagnostic step or treatment plan, that trust deepens. And that changes the entire consultation dynamic.

If leishmaniosis is part of your professional landscape, this event deserves your attention.

Not because it is heavily marketed. It isn’t.

Not because it promises revolutionary breakthroughs. It doesn’t.

But because it offers something increasingly rare. Focused, case based discussion with the people most deeply engaged in this field. In person. With time to think, question and reflect.

All official information will be available on www.leishvet.org and through LeishVet’s social media channels. If you have specific queries, you can contact the organisers at social@leishvet.org.

Before you close this page, pause for a moment.

Think about the last leishmaniosis case that made you hesitate. The one where you double checked a protocol. The one where you wished you could quickly consult someone who sees this disease from multiple angles.

That is the gap LeishVet UP! is aiming to narrow.

If you decide to attend, you will not just be collecting CPD hours. You will be stepping into a room full of colleagues who care about getting this right.

And in a disease that still asks us to think carefully, that feels worthwhile.