Pneumonia in Adult Beef and Dairy Cattle: Welfare and Management

Respiratory disease is not only a calf condition; adult cattle pneumonia causes significant welfare suffering and requires prompt recognition and treatment.

Key Facts

Adult cattle pneumonia can be caused by Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Mycoplasma bovis
Stress events including transport, housing changes, and mixing predispose adult cattle to respiratory disease
Clinical signs include pyrexia, coughing, nasal discharge, and laboured breathing
Treatment with antibiotics and NSAIDs in the first 24-48 hours of illness significantly improves outcomes
Mycoplasma-associated pneumonia is particularly difficult to treat and often becomes chronic

Welfare Considerations

Adult cattle pneumonia causes significant acute suffering: fever, difficulty breathing, and the physical discomfort of severe lung consolidation are clearly distressing to affected animals. Mycoplasma pneumonia may cause a chronic insidious wasting illness that is particularly welfare-compromising because animals suffer over an extended period without obvious acute signs that trigger early treatment. Transport fever is a well-recognised syndrome where the combined stresses of transport, mixing, and housing in new environments precipitate respiratory disease. Early identification and prompt treatment with anti-inflammatory medication alongside appropriate antimicrobials directly reduces the duration of suffering and prevents progression to fatal pneumonia.

What You Can Do

Train farm staff to recognise early signs of respiratory disease in adult cattle
Implement antibiotic treatment protocols that include NSAID use to reduce fever and pain
Minimise transport stress and mixing of unfamiliar cattle groups to reduce pneumonia risk
Investigate recurrent pneumonia in cattle groups to identify and address predisposing management factors