Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most common and costly disease in beef cattle, causing significant pain and mortality. Prevention through vaccination, stress reduction, and early treatment is essential.
Bovine respiratory disease causes genuine suffering through fever, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and the systemic effects of severe infection. Cattle arriving at feedlots from multiple sources face a perfect storm of immune suppression from transport stress and exposure to novel pathogens from commingling. Early detection is the most critical welfare intervention: cattle identified and treated in early stages of BRD recover well, while those treated late or not at all progress to severe pneumonia and chronic lung damage. Regular pen observation by trained stockpeople who can recognize subtle early signs of respiratory disease is a fundamental welfare management practice. The welfare and economic costs of BRD are sufficiently high that preventive investment in vaccination and management consistently delivers positive returns.