Emergency right now?
Call before you drive - hours and services change. If you are in danger on a highway shoulder, call 911 first.
Lost or found pet in Monroe County (Florida Keys)
In the Keys, who has your pet depends on the mile marker where it went missing. The Florida Keys SPCA runs the county's animal control from Key West (MM 0 to 16.7) and Marathon (MM 16.7 to 70); the Humane Animal Care Coalition in Key Largo covers MM 71 to 112. Call the one for the area, file a lost report, and email a photo to the SPCA.
Pets kept in the county six months or longer need a Monroe County license tag - a visitor on a week's vacation does not, but proof of rabies vaccination speeds up a reclaim, and the SPCA charges more without it.
Emergency and after-hours vets
This is the most important thing to know before you drive down: no official source confirms a staffed 24-hour animal hospital anywhere in the Keys. Keys Animal ER on Ramrod Key takes emergencies, but its staffed after-hours service runs 5pm to 10pm, and Animal Care Clinic in Key Largo has a 24-hour emergency phone line rather than an overnight hospital. Call either before driving.
The nearest confirmed 24/7 hospitals are in Miami-Dade - roughly an hour from Key Largo and three and a half to four hours from Key West on the Overseas Highway. If your pet is old or has a condition, ask your own vet for records to carry and know which of these you would head for.
Veterinarians by town
Established clinics, from Key West up the chain to Key Largo. Marathon Veterinary Hospital's street address differs between its old and new websites - call for directions.
Key West & Stock Island
Marathon
Islamorada
Key Largo
Injured wildlife, or a run-in with it
The Keys have their own rescuers for birds, sea turtles and everything else. A stranded sea turtle goes to The Turtle Hospital's hotline or FWC. Crocodiles live here as well as alligators - report a concern to FWC's gator line.
Hurricane season: pet-friendly shelters
In the Keys, every county general-population shelter is pet-friendly - but only for Category 1 and 2 storms, and only once the county announces them. There are no shelters in the Keys for a Category 3 or stronger storm. Mainland shelters for Keys evacuees require proof of Monroe County residency, which a visitor will not have.
For a traveler with a pet, that means one thing: when a storm is forecast, leave early. Visitors are ordered out first. Sign up for Alert!Monroe when you arrive.
About Monroe County (Florida Keys)
Monroe County is the Florida Keys – a 110-mile chain of islands from Key Largo to Key West – plus a mainland piece that is almost entirely Everglades National Park and Big Cypress, with no towns. Key West is the county seat. The other cities are Marathon, Islamorada, Key Colony Beach and Layton; Key Largo, Tavernier, Big Pine Key, Sugarloaf and Stock Island are unincorporated communities. Addresses here are given by mile marker, counting up from zero in Key West.
The road: one highway, US 1 – the Overseas Highway – runs the whole chain. The only other way in or out by car is the Card Sound Road toll bridge into North Key Largo. A crash on a bridge can close the road for hours, which matters when you need a vet on the mainland.
What catches pets out here:
- Cane toads live throughout South Florida and the Keys. A dog that mouths one can die within 15 minutes without treatment – watch for brick-red gums, drooling or foaming, and seizures, rinse the mouth out sideways with a hose, and head for a vet.
- Crocodiles and alligators: American crocodiles live in brackish ponds, coves and canals in the Keys. FWC advises keeping pets leashed and away from the water’s edge, especially at night.
- Key deer on Big Pine Key are endangered. In the National Key Deer Refuge pets must be leashed, and harassing the deer is prohibited. Drive slowly on Big Pine at dawn and dusk.
- No loose dogs on any county park, beach or playground. Most county parks allow leashed pets.
- Heat and sun – there is very little shade on the bridges and flats. Carry water for the dog on every stop.
Before you drive through
Most lost dogs on a road trip get out at a gas stop. Four cheap things make the call above far less likely - or far shorter.
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Every listing on this page was checked against an official source in September 2026. How we check
These listings come from public sources - business websites, county and state agencies. Apart from the few marked "We've been here", being listed is not a recommendation - we have not used them and do not rank them; we list that they exist and how to reach them. Always call ahead.
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