Mastitis causes significant pain in dairy goats and prevention through milking hygiene and management protects both welfare and milk quality.
Mastitis welfare harm in dairy goats is often invisible until disease is advanced because sub-clinical infection causes pain without the obvious signs that prompt owner action. Early detection through regular CMT testing allows treatment before acute disease develops. The welfare obligation extends beyond treating clinical mastitis to actively monitoring for the sub-clinical infections that cause chronic pain. Milking hygiene prevention is the most cost-effective welfare intervention: teat dipping, equipment sanitization, and proper milking technique prevent the majority of new mastitis cases. The alignment between welfare and productivity is strong in mastitis management, making the business case for prevention straightforward.