Fasciolosis, caused by the liver fluke parasite, is one of the most economically and welfare-significant diseases affecting cattle worldwide, causing painful liver damage, reduced productivity, and death in severe cases — yet often goes undetected until significant damage has occurred.
Liver fluke causes genuine, significant suffering in affected cattle. The migration of larvae through liver tissue is a destructive, painful process. Chronically infected cattle experience ongoing malaise — reduced appetite, lethargy, and the systemic effects of anaemia and liver insufficiency — for months before clinical signs are obvious enough to trigger treatment. Because signs develop gradually and are non-specific, many cattle suffer for extended periods before diagnosis. The pain of acute fluke disease, in which larvae cause rapid, massive liver destruction, can be severe and rapidly fatal. Good fluke management requires proactive monitoring, strategic treatment timing, pasture management, and ongoing surveillance — not just reactive treatment of obviously sick animals.