Keeping Your Dog Safe in South Florida

South Florida is easy on a dog once you plan around a few local hazards: heat and hot surfaces, cane toads after dark, alligators and algae in fresh water, stinging sea life on the beach, year-round mosquitoes and hurricane season. Here is what each one looks like and what to do, checked against state and veterinary sources in September 2026.

Heat, hot pavement and hot turf

The American Veterinary Medical Association's advice is to walk in the cooler hours, skip hot surfaces like asphalt that can burn paws, and carry water. Cornell's veterinary college adds a quick test: if you can't hold your hand, or stand barefoot, on the pavement for about 10 seconds, it's likely too hot for your dog. It also flags late afternoon, around 3 to 5 pm, as a time to skip exercise. Short-nosed breeds and older or overweight dogs are at higher risk.

Synthetic turf heats up too. Penn State's turf researchers found it generally runs 35 to 55 degrees hotter than natural grass in the sun, peaking from about noon to 3 pm, and watering cools it only briefly. The yard at the house has new artificial turf, so touch it on a sunny afternoon before the dog goes out. The pool is for people; hose the dog down with the outdoor shower instead.

Heavy panting, drooling, restlessness, unsteadiness, odd gum or tongue color and collapse are signs of heat stress, and the AVMA treats them as an emergency. Move the dog into air conditioning, wet it with cool water, and call a vet.

Cane toads

Cane toads, also called Bufo toads, are established across much of southern Florida. UF/IFAS says they are poisonous at every life stage, and the large, somewhat triangular glands on their shoulders squirt toxin when a dog mouths one. Adults come out after sunset, and in South Florida they can breed year-round.

Signs of poisoning include unusually red or pink gums, drooling or frothing, pawing at the mouth and seizures. UF/IFAS first aid: wipe the mouth with a damp rag, rinse it with a hose for 15 minutes so the water flows out of the mouth and not down the throat, and call your vet right away. Don't leave pet food outside at night, or the dog alone outdoors at dawn, dusk or after dark.

Canals, lakes and ponds

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's alligator advice: keep pets on a leash and away from the water's edge, never let them swim in fresh or brackish water, and take the most care from dusk to dawn, when alligators are most active. April through June is mating season, when more of them are on the move. Never feed one. If an alligator threatens people or pets, call the FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.

Blue-green algae blooms usually happen in summer or early fall. The Florida Department of Health says to stay out of water with foam, scum or mats of algae, bathe a dog that swims in it as soon as possible because toxins collect on fur and get licked off, and see a vet right away if it acts ill. Report a bloom to the Department of Environmental Protection at 855-305-3903.

At the beach

Dogs are allowed on only some stretches of sand; see dog-friendly beaches for where and when. Once you're there:

• Hot sand. A Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation vet's rule: if the sand is uncomfortable for your feet, it's too hot for paws.
• Sandspurs. This grass grows in sandy, undisturbed ground, and from June through November it carries burs with hooked spines that cling to fur, says UF/IFAS. Check paws and coat after sandy walks.
• Portuguese man o' war. A purple flag means dangerous marine life. NOAA notes a man o' war can still sting weeks after washing ashore, so keep the dog away from anything washed up. Fort Lauderdale posts the day's flags and any sea pests on its beach conditions page and hotline, 954-828-4597.
• Salt water. Bring fresh water; drinking a lot of seawater can push a dog's sodium to dangerous levels.

Mosquitoes and heartworm

Broward County's mosquito control office says mosquitoes are present year-round in South Florida, and mosquitoes spread heartworm. The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention, so keep your dog's preventive on schedule for the trip, and tip out water bowls left outside.

Hurricane season with a pet

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October. If a storm threatens during your stay, Broward County's first choice for evacuees with pets is a friend's home or a pet-friendly hotel outside the evacuation zone. Some public shelters are designated pet-friendly, first come, first served: pets must be in a carrier or crate, dogs need a collar and leash, and you must show a rabies certificate, so pack it. Bring a week of food, water and supplies, and call 311 or 954-831-4000 for shelter openings. Ready.gov's pet kit adds medicine, ID tags and a photo of your pet. More in hurricane season and your trip.

Hazards at a glance

When each hazard peaks and what to do about it.

Hazard	Season	What to do
Heat and hot pavement	Sunny days; worst on summer afternoons	Walk early and late, test the pavement, carry water
Hot turf and sand	Sunny middays	Touch it before the dog walks on it
Cane toads	Year-round, after dark	Supervise at night; if mouthed, wipe and rinse the mouth, call a vet
Alligators	Year-round; most active dusk to dawn	Leash, stay back from the water, no swimming in fresh or brackish water
Blue-green algae	Usually summer and early fall	Stay out of scummy water; bathe the dog; vet if ill
Sandspurs	June through November	Check paws and coat
Man o' war	Any time the purple flag flies	Keep the dog away from anything washed up
Mosquitoes	Year-round	Keep heartworm prevention current
Hurricanes	June 1 to November 30	Carrier, leash, rabies certificate, a week of supplies

If something goes wrong

For a suspected poisoning, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. It answers 24/7, every day of the year, and a consultation fee may apply. For animal hospitals, see emergency vets near Fort Lauderdale, and for safe routes near the house, dog walks near the nest.

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