Mastitis is the most prevalent and costly welfare and production problem in dairy cattle worldwide, and prevention-focused management substantially reduces cow suffering.
Mastitis causes significant pain that compromises welfare across its acute and chronic forms. Acute mastitis generates systemic illness with fever, pain, and reduced milk production. Chronic subclinical mastitis causes persistent low-level udder discomfort. Welfare-positive dairy management treats mastitis with appropriate analgesia as standard, not optional, and invests in prevention through environmental management, milking hygiene, and teat dipping programs. Herds with low mastitis prevalence consistently demonstrate better overall welfare outcomes, reflecting the management quality that produces both low disease and good welfare.