New wearable and sensor technologies enable continuous monitoring of transition cows, detecting developing health problems before clinical signs appear and enabling earlier, more effective intervention.
Transition period diseases cause enormous welfare harm and economic loss, and most begin as subclinical processes before clinical signs appear. Monitoring technology that detects these early changes enables intervention while the disease is still mild - preventing progression to severe, welfare-significant illness. The welfare value of earlier detection is substantial when translated across entire dairy herds.