Pneumonia is a major cause of lamb mortality and welfare suffering, particularly in housed systems, and prevention through vaccination and housing management is highly effective.
Lamb pneumonia causes acute suffering - fever, respiratory distress, reduced appetite, and systemic illness - in animals that are among the most vulnerable and young. The preventability of much lamb pneumonia makes its continued high prevalence a welfare failure rooted in management gaps rather than inevitable disease burden. Ventilation improvements to lambing sheds, vaccination protocols, and stable group management are all available, effective, and economically justified. Early recognition and prompt treatment of affected lambs dramatically reduces disease duration and suffering. Investment in prevention is investment in avoiding the welfare cost of treatment.