Liver abscesses are extremely common in feedlot cattle and cause chronic welfare harm from subclinical to severe infection. Understanding their cause and prevention enables welfare improvement.
Liver abscesses represent a chronic welfare harm that is largely invisible in production systems because most affected cattle do not show obvious clinical signs. However, subclinical infection causes reduced feed efficiency, immune suppression, and chronic low-grade illness that compromises welfare throughout the feeding period. The welfare relationship to antibiotic use is complex: tylosin controls liver abscesses effectively but represents routine antibiotic use with antimicrobial resistance implications. The welfare-positive approach addresses the root cause (ruminal acidosis from high-grain diets) through gradual grain introduction, adequate roughage inclusion, and rumen buffering rather than managing the consequence with continuous antibiotics.