A wild rat in New Mexico tested positive for the plague after four dogs were diagnosed with the troubling disease earlier this year, according to authorities.

A homeowner discovered the plague-ridden rodent dead on a private property in Santa Fe County and submitted it for testing, according to the New Mexico Health Department.

It is the first confirmed wild animal in Santa Fe County to test positive for the illness caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria in 2026, the health department said.

The case follows four other confirmed plague cases in dogs this year — including three pooches in Santa Fe County and one in Bernalillo County.

“While this is an animal case of plague, it’s important to remember humans can get plague from flea bites or direct contact with infected animals, including rodents, wildlife and even pets,” Dr. Chad Smelser, deputy state epidemiologist for NMDOH, said in a statement.

“Pets can be infected with plague if they eat an infected animal or are bitten by infected fleas,” Smelser said.

Although human cases of the plague are rare, roughly half of all cases in the US each year occur in New Mexico, according to the health department.

The disease can be life-threatening without proper treatment, but if it’s caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics, officials added.

Symptoms in humans include sudden high fever, chills, headache, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes.

Infected pets similarly suffer from fever, low energy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes, experts added.

The New Mexico Health Department cautioned residents to take several steps to prevent themselves and their contracting the plague — including cleaning up areas near homes such as woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned vehicles, where rodents could live.

Pet food and water should be kept away from where rodents and wildlife can get to them, and people should stay away from sick or dead rodents and rabbits.

Pets should use veterinarian-approved flea control products and be promptly taken to a veterinarian if they are sick.

Last year, a man in Arizona and a domestic cat in Colorado died of the bubonic plague.

A 43-year-old man from Valencia County in New Mexico was also hospitalized with the disease in 2025.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The monsoon high has shifted just slightly west and is now centered between Arizona and New Mexico for Wednesday.

We’ll still have a similar setup to the last couple of days. Scattered showers and storms will form off the high terrain between late morning and early afternoon, moving slowly off in a clockwise fashion into nearby highlands and valley areas by mid and late afternoon/early evening before mostly fizzling out after the sun sets.

The mid and upper level moisture draped across the state is slightly below climatological normals for early July. Slightly less moisture will limit rainfall but stronger cells could easily drop a good half-inch or more.

Additional rainfall on the burn scars may lead to flash flooding. Tuesday saw at least 1.5 inches of radar estimated rainfall fall near and on the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn scar.

Storms will produce strong outflow, with gusts likely ranging from 20-40 mph. That may either undercut existing storms or help produce new cells.

Temperatures this afternoon will either be near the same as Tuesday or about one-to-two degrees warmer statewide. Those that get to see the rain first will cool off the fastest.

Higher elevations in the mountains are looking at highs getting into the 70s and 80s. Valleys, low-lying areas and the highlands will heat up into the 90s, with several spots looking at highs near the triple digits this afternoon, such as the lower Rio Grande Valley, and a few southern locales. 

Wildfire smoke will also stick around. Most of it will stay lofted into the upper levels of the atmosphere but some light concentrations of it may make it down to the ground and could impact the air quality on a very localized scale for those that do get to see that. Areas around the Sacaton Fire in the Gila’s may see a slightly heavier concentration that could get blown around due to outflow from nearby storms this afternoon.

Meteorologist Amanda Goluszka shares all the details in her full forecast in the video above.

MORE: