Bovine respiratory disease is the most costly cattle disease globally and causes significant welfare harm, with prevention through management and vaccination offering welfare and economic benefits.
Bovine respiratory disease welfare encompasses both the acute suffering of affected animals and the chronic welfare compromise of animals with residual lung damage. BRD causes fever, painful pleuropneumonia, and progressive respiratory failure in severe cases - welfare impacts that are severe and well-documented. The prevention opportunity is substantial: the stressors that predispose cattle to BRD - commingling, transport, weaning, and poor nutrition - are largely manageable through husbandry changes. Metaphylactic treatment (routine antibiotic treatment of high-risk groups at arrival) reduces BRD incidence but creates antibiotic stewardship concerns. Vaccination and management strategies that reduce stress-induced immunosuppression are more welfare and sustainability-aligned solutions.