Bovine respiratory disease is the leading cause of illness and death in feedlot cattle. Prevention-focused management reduces suffering for millions of animals and improves farm economics simultaneously.
Bovine respiratory disease causes significant suffering through fever, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, and depression in affected animals. The disease typically follows the acute stress of transport and commingling that compromises immune function. Prevention through stress reduction during transport, pre-conditioning calves before placement, and metaphylactic treatment of high-risk animals reduces both disease incidence and the suffering of affected individuals. Early detection before clinical disease is obvious allows treatment at a stage when recovery is most complete. Automated health monitoring systems that detect early behavioral changes enable more timely intervention than traditional twice-daily visual observation. The welfare and economic case for BRD prevention through stress management is compelling.