Bovine respiratory disease is the leading cause of illness and death in cattle, with prevention programs substantially reducing both welfare impacts and economic losses.
Bovine respiratory disease causes significant acute suffering through the pain of pneumonia and pleuritis, fever, and the respiratory distress of compromised lung function. Cattle with untreated or inadequately treated BRDC progressively deteriorate, with each treatment failure leaving more lung damage. Deaths from BRDC represent welfare failures that are substantially preventable through appropriate vaccination protocols and early detection. The stress response to shipping, weaning, and mixing creates a window of immune vulnerability that BRDC pathogens exploit. Preventive approaches that reduce stress at these critical periods - including strategic vaccination, preconditioning programs, and careful transport management - reduce disease incidence and the suffering associated with respiratory illness.