Pain in dairy cattle is gaining attention globally. This study investigated the current attitudes of Chinese dairy practitioners to pain and its management in intensively raised dairy cattle. A total of 465 valid questionnaires with 26 painful conditions scored on numerical rating scales were collected from dairy practitioners. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and multivariate regression models. Dystocia was perceived as the most painful, while mild mastitis with milk changes only was perceived as the least painful. Respondents who agreed with the statement “pain management is worthwhile” tended to give a higher pain score. Young respondents (≤23 years old) and those from farms with ≤1000 cattle had lower pain scores for conditions with severe pain and low variability but higher pain scores for conditions with less severe pain and high variability, whereas highly educated respondents had consistently lower pain scores. As for pain management, older respondents (≥24 years old) tended to choose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and farms with >1000 cattle were more likely to use analgesics. Training in pain perception and management should be emphasised with the hope of promoting animal welfare and reducing unnecessary production losses.

In pursuit of precision livestock farming, the real-time measurement for heat strain-related data has been more and more valued. Efforts have been made recently to use more sensitive physiological indicators with the hope to better inform decision-making in heat abatement in dairy farms. To get an insight into the early detection of heat strain in dairy cows, the present review focuses on the recent efforts developing early detection methods of heat strain in dairy cows based on body temperatures and respiratory dynamics. For every candidate animal-based indicator, state-of-the-art measurement methods and existing thresholds were summarized. Body surface temperature and respiration rate were concluded to be the best early indicators of heat strain due to their high feasibility of measurement and sensitivity to heat stress. Future studies should customize heat strain thresholds according to different internal and external factors that have an impact on the sensitivity to heat stress. Wearable devices are most promising to achieve real-time measurement in practical dairy farms. Combined with internet of things technologies, a comprehensive strategy based on both animal- and environment-based indicators is expected to increase the precision of early detection of heat strain in dairy cows.