Bovine respiratory disease is the most economically costly and welfare-significant disease in beef and dairy cattle, requiring integrated prevention and rapid treatment to minimise suffering.
Bovine respiratory disease represents one of the most significant welfare challenges in cattle production, combining the suffering of acute illness with the long-term consequences of lung damage in survivors. Prevention is far more welfare-positive than treatment, and the most effective prevention addresses the stressors - mixing, transport, weaning, and handling - that trigger immunosuppression. Metaphylactic treatment programmes that treat all animals in high-risk groups reduce individual suffering but carry antibiotic stewardship concerns. Early individual treatment when clinical signs appear, combined with isolation and supportive care, provides the best welfare outcome for affected animals.