Bovine respiratory disease is the most costly and welfare-significant health problem in beef cattle, causing significant suffering that is largely preventable through management and vaccination.
BRD causes suffering that begins subtly — reduced appetite, mild fever, labored breathing — and progresses to severe pneumonia causing pain with every breath. Animals in the early stages of BRD are difficult to identify in large groups, meaning many go untreated until disease is well advanced. The stress of weaning, transportation, and commingling with unfamiliar animals simultaneously impairs immunity and exposes calves to new pathogens, creating an overwhelming disease challenge. Preventive strategies that reduce stress during transition and provide immune support through vaccination represent both the most humane and most economically rational approach.