Bovine respiratory disease complex is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in feedlot cattle. Prevention through vaccination, management, and early detection is both a welfare and economic priority.
Bovine respiratory disease causes acute and chronic suffering at massive scale. Cattle with BRD experience fever, difficulty breathing, pain from inflammation, and significant metabolic compromise. Chronically affected animals may never fully recover pulmonary function. The welfare imperative is prevention through reducing stress at high-risk transition points - weaning, transport, and feedlot entry - alongside vaccination and early detection protocols. Farms and feedlots that invest in BRD prevention achieve better welfare and better economics simultaneously. The technology for early individual animal health monitoring now provides opportunities to detect disease earlier and treat more effectively than historic approaches.