According to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, an unvaccinated dog tested positive for rabies on Jan. 6, about two months after the pet had possibly encountered a skunk.

In mid-November 2022, a skunk was spotted jumping toward the dog and hovering around an outdoor food dish.

The dog's owner ended up shooting the skunk as it ran from the scene.

About five weeks later, at the end of December, the dog was acting strange, having trouble swallowing and drooling excessively, so it was taken to the vet.

The vet recalled no neurological signs but did notice frothing in the mouth.

The owner then remembered the encounter with the skunk and the deceased dog was brought in for rabies testing.