Bovine respiratory disease is the most costly and welfare-significant disease in the cattle industry, with prevention strategies focusing on reducing stress and optimizing immune function at high-risk transition points.
BRD welfare is interconnected with husbandry practices at every stage of the beef production chain. The disease causes significant suffering - fever, respiratory distress, pleuritis, and in severe cases death or permanent lung damage that compromises welfare for the remainder of the animal's life. The most effective welfare intervention is prevention through stress reduction at high-risk transition points: minimizing transport duration and mixing of unfamiliar animals, providing high-quality feed immediately on arrival, and implementing vaccination programs before the stress of weaning or transport. Treatment welfare requires early identification and effective antibiotic therapy before disease becomes severe.