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Dog Flu Returns To Chicago Region

(CBS) – The canine flu is back with a vengeance.

There is so much concern, one Chicago pet hotel is no longer taking reservations.

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.

Minnie Hubbard's 8 1/2-year-old Schnauzer Winston is close to feeling like himself again.

"Today showed more energy than ever. He was playful and wanted to run outside," the owner says.

Hubbard says Winston was put on antibiotics after being diagnosed with canine influenza, after a five-day stay at a South Loop Petsmart Pet Hotel.

"When he first came home he was sneezing, sneezing. We took him to the doctor the second day because it was unusual for him to sneeze like that," she says.

Dr. Anthony Coronado says Hubbard did the right thing. The President of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and partner in Premier Veterinary Group says the dog flu has returned to the region and in some cases have proven fatal.

"Personally, I've seen three or four cases a day on average when I'm working," he says.

Coronado says the rise in cases is back because people stopped taking precautions.

"Shelters were closing. The boarding facilities were closing. Veterinarians were taking precautionary measures, having their clients wait outside, if they had a coughing dog," he says.

Dr. Coronado says a vaccine for the new flu strain isn't ready for market yet. He says it's best to keep your dog separated from other canines for the time being.

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