Sudden death in doe and 5 kits

by Leah
(New Zealand)

I don't know if you can help but thought I'd ask... I recently purchased a doe and have since had her and 5 kits die. They simply went limp and then died without warning. What could be the problem, and how to fix it?

Moderator Questions:
Leah, thanks for asking.

Since 6 animals died quickly, it is easy to think the problem is infectious. (Myxo? RHD?) But first I'm wondering about heat stroke...

---Have the temperatures been 30+C for any length of time?
---How hot would the animals have gotten before dying?
---Did they have shade protection?
---Did they have steady water 24/7?
---What other symptoms did they show, if any? For example, were their faces moist from panting?

Other questions to explore the infection angle:
---Any signs of diarrhea at all??
---Any sneezing prior to death, as in, chronic sneezing in the doe?
---How old were the kits?
---Still nursing? Did the doe have mastitis - hardened and hot mammary tissues perhaps with pus?

There - some questions to start a discussion. We may never know for sure what happened without a necropsy, but we can sure try to drill down to the probabilities in order to try to prevent a 'next time.'