Recognizing and treating pain in cattle is essential for welfare but remains underutilized, with assessment tools now available for practical farm application.
Unrecognized pain causes chronic welfare suffering. Routine procedures without pain relief cause acute pain and potentially chronic sensitization. Lameness causing chronic pain affects millions of cattle globally with inadequate treatment rates. Mastitis, metritis, and other common diseases cause significant pain that is undertreated. Improved pain recognition using validated tools is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available.