When you and your family went to get your annual flu shot, you may have forgotten to protect a certain family member from influenza: your dog. Five dogs have already been killed by a dog flu outbreak in Chicago, and veterinarians in the area are warning pet owners to take precautions in the next couple weeks. Here's how to protect your dog from Chicago's dog flu outbreak. 

More than 1,000 cases of canine infectious respiratory disease have been reported in recent weeks, with at least five dogs dying from the infection.

"It's almost an epidemic," Dr. Jerry Klein told CBS station WBBM-TV. "I've been here for 35 years, it's probably the worst type of outbreak I've ever experienced."

So how can you protect Spot from the dog flu outbreak?

The virus is spread most easily at dog parks, dog training classes, boarding and grooming facilities and in daycare. Also, dog walkers who walk dogs from multiple homes at the same time, according to Dr. Cynda Crawford, Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville.

The best thing to do is to keep your dog relatively isolated from other dogs for the next couple of weeks. Walk your dog around your neighborhood or in your backyard, instead of at the dog park. Try to find a dogsitter instead of boarding your dog if you're going out of town soon. Skip a few weeks of your dog's training classes.

The Chicago Park District has already posted signs at the entrances of Dog Friendly Areas in Chicago, warning dog owners to enter at their own risk.

PetSmart closed a Chicago-area boarding center to contain the spread of the virus and announced plans to close two other locations.

Additionally, there is a vaccine for the dog flu, or canine influenza virus. Veterinarians usually suggest the flu shot for social dogs. However, the vaccine won't protect your dog overnight - a booster is required about two to three weeks following the initial shot. Similarly to the flu shot for humans, the dog flu vaccine is not a 100 percent guarantee against contracting the flu.

Symptoms of the dog flu include: coughing, lethargy, lack of appetite, nasal discharge, fever, and trouble breathing.  If your dog is showing any signs of these symptoms, please keep your dog away from other pets and visit your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Officials said the virus is highly contagious for dogs, but not for humans or other household pets.