An Alpharetta animal care facility is working to prevent dog flu from spreading.
The Pet Lodge Pet Resort confirms three cases in just two days.
Dog owner Mikki Funderburke says her boxer, Tex, has been in isolation at the Blue Pearl Vet Clinic for almost a week after testing positive for canine flu.
"It's a financial burden, a big financial burden. To the tune about $1,000 a day. You're willing to pay it. It's your dog," Funderburke told Channel 2's Jessica Jaglois.
She said she knew when she picked Tex up from the Pet Lodge that he was sick.
"When we got this dog back, he was lethargic and not himself. Frail looking. I told the vet, it's not any different than a mom, you know when something's wrong with your kid," Funderburke said.
At first, Funderburke said thought it was kennel cough, a common and treatable disease in dogs.
But when Tex's test results came back, she was shocked to learn he was positive for H3N2, a highly contagious and untreatable strain of canine influenza.
So far, there have been three confirmed cases at the Pet Lodge, where Tex stayed.
"It was a total surprise. We hadn't thought of anything like that or expected anything like that," Funderburke said.
Pet Lodge Pet Resort Manager Jeff Hoen told Jaglois since the cases have been confirmed, his facility has separated any dogs with a cough.
He says they're constantly monitored by employees who wear hazmat suits, and group play with other dogs is canceled.
"I would rather have someone upset that we're not doing group playtime than put a dog at risk," Hoen said.
Jaglois has learned that dog flu isn't just at Pet Lodge. It's popped up at other facilities and dog parks in the area.
People can transfer the disease to their dogs but humans can't catch it.
The good news is, while H3N2 is highly contagious, 95 percent of dogs who contract it survive.
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