Mastitis is the most costly and prevalent disease in dairy cattle worldwide, causing significant pain and representing a major welfare failure when prevention and treatment are inadequate.
Dairy cows with clinical mastitis experience significant acute pain from udder inflammation, often accompanied by systemic illness similar to a severe fever in humans. Treatment delays and inadequate pain management leave cows suffering unnecessarily for days. Despite being one of the most common conditions in dairy cattle, mastitis pain management with NSAIDs remains inconsistent across farms. Systematic prevention programs combined with prompt treatment and mandatory pain relief represent the most impactful welfare intervention available for dairy cow populations.