Mastitis is the most costly disease of dairy cattle and a major welfare concern. Preventive management, early detection and appropriate treatment are fundamental to herd welfare and production sustainability.
Mastitis welfare spans acute suffering in clinical cases and chronic lower-level welfare compromise in subclinical cases. A cow with acute E. coli mastitis experiences severe pain, systemic illness, fever and toxaemia - this is a welfare emergency requiring immediate veterinary treatment and pain relief. Subclinically infected cows produce milk under chronic inflammatory conditions that cause persistent discomfort and immune system burden even without obvious clinical signs. Prevention through the Five-Point Plan reduces the incidence of both clinical and subclinical disease; early detection through regular SCC monitoring and prompt treatment minimises the duration of suffering when disease occurs.