I think they just have fleas.
We have someone drop dead from this just about every year near me.
I’ve read the stories of folks getting strange diseases from living in huts in New Mexico.
I’ve driven various parts of New Mexico and seen where folks
live like they did when the whites weren’t here.
The dog runs off and gets fleas that were living on prarie dogs that carry the disease, and then the dog comes home and the fleas infect the owner.
It’s still in the mountains west of Bakersfield. Just don’t play with the rodents.