Bovine respiratory disease is the most costly health problem in cattle and causes significant suffering that is often undertreated due to difficulties in early detection.
Bovine respiratory disease causes significant suffering that is often prolonged by delayed detection. Cattle with pneumonia experience difficulty breathing, fever, and the general malaise of severe systemic illness. Their prey animal instinct to hide illness means clinical signs appear only when disease is advanced. The combination of high stocking density, multiple species contacts during marketing, and transportation stress creates conditions where respiratory pathogens spread rapidly. Adequate pain management during treatment is underused despite evidence of improved welfare and recovery. Prevention through reduced transport stress and vaccination is the most welfare-positive approach.