Magazine on Mastitis and Milk quality for the dairy professional

#Animal welfare

Focus

Pain management in cattle: what about the udder?

29 min read ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

In this article, Raphael Guatteo sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of mastitis in dairy cows: pain. While mastitis is extensively researched in terms of prevalence, etiology, and treatment, pain assessment and management remain largely absent from mastitis-focused literature. The paper also draws attention to the discomfort associated with udder engorgement at drying-off, a welfare issue that is frequently eclipsed by concerns about mastitis risk. Guatteo provides a practical overview of the current evidence on pain during mastitis, available tools for pain assessment, and strategies to improve pain management under field conditions.

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Focus

“Rules of three”: a primer on dairy cattle welfare

34 min read ,  ,  , 

Animal welfare is both an area of growing societal interest and a topic of scientific inquiry. Human stakeholders who are invested in the welfare of dairy cattle include dairy farmers and others in the industry, dairy cooperatives, processors, and other companies along the supply chain, and potential consumers of dairy products. To safeguard the sustainability of the dairy industry, practices on farms must align with societal expectations for the treatment of animals. In this piece, Dr. Jennifer Van Os will deliver a primer on three topics relating to dairy cattle welfare, each in turn described using a “rule of three”.

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