Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most economically significant and welfare-impacting disease in cattle globally, causing substantial pain and mortality in beef and dairy herds.
BRD causes significant suffering: pleuropneumonia, fever, difficulty breathing, and chronic lung damage in survivors. The disease is frequently precipitated by intensive management practices — long-distance transport, abrupt weaning, and sudden social mixing overwhelm immune defences. Individual animal monitoring using clinical scoring systems enables early treatment when it is most effective and most humane. Metaphylactic antibiotic use at high-risk entry points is common but controversial; vaccination programmes and stress-reduction protocols offer welfare-compatible alternatives. Farms investing in low-stress handling, adequate ventilation, and prompt treatment demonstrate that high productivity and good welfare are compatible.