Livestock

Mastitis in Dairy Cows: Pain, Treatment, and Prevention

Mastitis is the most costly disease in dairy farming and causes significant pain and suffering in affected cows.

Key Facts

Mastitis affects around 30 percent of dairy cows in any given year in the UK
Clinical mastitis causes acute pain with swollen inflamed udder tissue
Sub-clinical mastitis is more common and may persist for months causing chronic discomfort
Antibiotic use for mastitis treatment is a major contributor to farm antibiotic consumption
Prevention through teat hygiene, milking management, and housing design is more effective than treatment

Welfare Considerations

Cows with clinical mastitis experience severe acute pain equivalent to arthritis in humans based on behavioural and physiological measures. Pain assessment and multimodal analgesia are not consistently applied. Sub-clinical mastitis causes chronic inflammation and discomfort. Repeated mastitis infections cause progressive udder damage and early culling. High-yielding breeds are more susceptible creating a conflict between production genetics and welfare.

What You Can Do

Support dairy farms that use pain relief protocols as part of mastitis treatment
Choose dairy products from farms with transparent health data and welfare assurance
Advocate for pain relief to be mandatory in mastitis treatment protocols
Support transition to lower-yielding breeds with better health and welfare outcomes
Campaign for reduced antibiotic use through better prevention rather than treating chronic infections