Liver fluke infestation causes significant welfare compromise in cattle and sheep through liver damage and anemia. Strategic treatment programs protect both welfare and productivity.
Liver fluke welfare in cattle represents a significant but often invisible chronic welfare burden. Unlike lameness or mastitis, fluke infestation causes gradual welfare deterioration - reduced appetite, energy, and condition that stockpeople may attribute to other causes or simply accept as normal variation. Strategic treatment programs based on faecal egg counting and strategic timing protect welfare effectively. The challenge is resistance development to key drugs, which means random prophylactic treatment is increasingly counterproductive. Evidence-based treatment programs that time interventions to maximum efficacy while minimizing resistance selection protect both welfare and the long-term effectiveness of available treatments.