Veterinarians worry the new dog flu could spread more quickly as pets travel. The holidays are also a big time for people to put pets in kennels, making them more susceptible to catching the flu. The new strain came from horses.

"Whenever you have a virus that has mutated, there is no natural immunity, so you have a susceptible population out there," said Dr. Ben Tharp, a veterinarian. "Virtually 85 percent of dogs are going to come down with it." So, what's being done to protect pets from the potentially dangerous virus?

"There's no vaccine right now. They're certainly working on it, but there's no vaccine right now," Tharp said. It's not clear how many dogs have died from the new strain, but researchers said it crossed over from horses to dogs, first striking greyhounds at racetracks. Now, it's making pets sick in the northeast.

"Eventually it's going to come down here. We have a very mobile society. A lot of dogs are traveling and it's a dog-to-dog contact, just like influenza in people and other species." Tharp considers the virus more of a nuisance than a highly deadly disease, but it can lead to bigger problems.

Pet owners can help protect their furry friends. "When you're handling other people's dogs, just like in people, washing your hands with some of those antiseptic soaps do a pretty good job of killing the virus," Tharp said.

Tharp also said to make sure your pet is up-to-date on vaccines and get to a vet if there is any sign of coughing or discharge from the dog's nose.

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