Mastitis is the most costly and common disease in dairy cows globally. Its welfare impact is enormous yet largely preventable through good management.
Clinical mastitis causes genuine and significant pain. The udder becomes inflamed, swollen, and exquisitely tender - affected quarters may be too painful to touch. Systemic cases involve fever, toxemia, and complete collapse in severe E. coli mastitis, which can be life-threatening. Pain management for mastitis has been historically underused in dairy farming, with anti-inflammatory treatment often withheld for economic reasons. Subclinical mastitis, while causing no visible signs, represents a state of chronic immune activation that impairs cow wellbeing over time. The preventability of most mastitis through good management - clean housing, appropriate milking procedures, teat condition monitoring - makes its ongoing high prevalence partly a management and motivation failure.