Cattle Bovine Respiratory Disease: Clinical Scoring and Early Detection

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most costly disease in beef cattle, and validated clinical scoring systems enable earlier detection and treatment, significantly improving welfare outcomes.

Key Facts

BRD causes approximately 75% of all feedlot cattle illness and 50% of feedlot deaths in North America.
The Wisconsin BRD Scoring System and DART (Depression, Appetite, Respiratory, Temperature) are widely used scoring tools.
Cattle with BRD that are treated early have significantly lower mortality and chronic lung damage.
Chronic BRD results in "lunger" cattle with permanently damaged lungs that suffer reduced welfare throughout life.
Risk factors include weaning stress, transport, mixing of cohorts, and respiratory virus exposure.
Metaphylactic antibiotic treatment at high-risk times reduces BRD incidence but raises antimicrobial resistance concerns.
Precision livestock farming tools including automated respiration rate monitors are being trialled for early BRD detection.

Welfare Considerations

BRD causes substantial suffering in cattle, including fever, difficulty breathing, pain, and chronic lung damage. Clinical scoring systems help pen riders and farm staff identify affected animals before disease reaches severe stages. Training farm workers to use validated scoring tools consistently improves detection rates and welfare outcomes. Reducing BRD incidence through better management of risk factors — minimising transport stress, providing adequate nutrition, and optimising housing ventilation — is preferable to relying solely on treatment after disease is established.

What You Can Do

Support farms that train staff in validated BRD clinical scoring and maintain treatment records.
Advocate for reduced unnecessary metaphylactic antibiotic use in favour of targeted treatment based on scoring.
Choose beef from systems with lower stocking densities and better disease management track records.
Support research into vaccine development for key BRD pathogens including BRSV and BHV-1.