While there is good awareness of the potential dangers of pets overheating in high temperatures during summer months, recognising that the sunburn itself can be a source of harm is also important.

We might think that our furry friends are protected from the sun’s harmful rays thanks to their typical hairiness, but in reality, we need to protect them too.

This is especially important for pets with light-coloured hair, pale, pink skin or those with fine or thin coats such as the sphynx cat or the xoloitzcuintle dog that lack natural protection.

For pets that live outdoors or spend a lot of time in the sun, this can also be a significant problem.

Pink skin lacks the pigment, melanin, that provides a natural level of protection from sunlight. As a result, pets with exposed areas of pink skin can become painfully sunburned, even on days that might not appear overly sunny. The tips of cats’ ears are commonly affected, as are horses with pink muzzles and other lightly pigmented areas of their body.

Dogs can also be affected on their noses and bellies – I have even known one unfortunate pooch to suffer sunburn on his scrotum after a period of garden sunbathing. Essentially, just like us, any unprotected area of skin that is exposed to the sun can become painfully burned, with both short and more prolonged effects.

Even minor areas of sunburn are associated with reddening of the skin, irritation and discomfort. More severe cases of sunburn can cause blistering, crusting and scabs to form on affected areas. While these signs typically heal and resolve quickly, they can be painful and distressing for our pets.

The longer-term consequences can include significant damage to the skin and may increase the risk of certain forms of skin cancer developing.

There is also the potential for thermal burns to occur after exposure to intense sunlight, especially over the backs of animals. These can be severe, affecting the full thickness of the skin and causing significant distress.

Consequently, protecting our pets from the pain of sunburn is important.

How to protect your pet

An easy way to keep your pet safe both from the damaging UV radiation in sunlight and high temperatures, is to limit their access outdoors during the sunniest and warmest times of the day. This might mean exercising your dog early in the morning and later in the evening, providing shade and shelter for horses and encouraging cats to sunbathe safely indoors.

The use of sunscreen can be a useful protective method to limit harm to exposed areas of skin, but do select a pet-safe sunscreen. Many human sunscreen preparations contain ingredients that can be toxic for our pets, especially if accidentally licked and ingested.

Reapply sunscreen regularly and don’t forget to apply it to the areas most likely to be exposed, such as ears, noses and pink-skinned or lightly coated areas of the body.

For some pets, suitable protective clothing and coverings, including UV eye protection might be appropriate, although do take time to get your pet used to wearing and moving in these before use.

What if your pet has been sunburned?

If your pet gets a mild sunburn but seems comfortable and not in distress, a cold compress can offer some soothing relief. Gently apply it to the affected area to help ease discomfort. Keep a close eye on the healing process, and be sure to protect your pet from further sun exposure.

In more severe cases, contact your vet for advice and additional treatment. Painkillers or antibiotics might be needed and these can only be prescribed for your pet by a veterinary surgeon.

Equally, if you find unusual areas on your pet’s skin such as non-healing or unusually crusty sores and are concerned that it could be a sign of skin cancer, speak to your vet for guidance and support.

Global UV levels are increasing. This means that in the same way that we have increased exposure to potentially harmful levels, our pets do too. By managing how our pets experience sunshine and by using protective options where possible, we can go some way to avoiding the pain and distress of sunburn, as well as the more serious possible long-term consequences such as skin cancer.

With hosepipe bans in force across several English regions and more restrictions likely to follow, gardeners face some tough choices.

When every drop counts, which plants deserve your precious water from the water butt, and which should you leave to fend for themselves?

As someone who has researched how British gardeners need to adapt to respond to our changing climate, I can tell you that not all garden plants are created equal when it comes to water needs.

Some plants will bounce back from a summer scorching, while others may never recover.

Top plants to prioritise for watering

1. New woody plants

Any woody plant installed in the last 12-18 months should be your absolute priority. These haven’t yet developed the deep root systems needed to find moisture reserves and going without enough water the first year or so after planting could kill them.

Water thoroughly and add a deep mulch of wood chips to help the soil hold water. For young trees you can install a watering bag around the trunk but you still need to top it up.

2. Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas adopt a conservative strategy when it comes to drought. They shut their stomata (leaf pores) rapidly when they sense dry soil, and keep them closed until consistent moisture returns. They often drop their leaves too.

This can mean many weeks without growth, after even a relatively short drought period. So if you want to keep them looking at their best, they need consistent watering. You can cut growth back to reduce water loss, and save the the plant at the cost of flowers.

3. Moisture loving trees

Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), along with other moisture-loving trees like birch and beech, are prone to serious die-back during summer droughts. Their shallow root systems and large leaves make them particularly vulnerable to water stress. Water and mulch them.

4. Soft herbaceous plants

Astilbe, dicentra, filipendula, heuchera, primula, trollius and many other soft herbaceous plants require good moisture levels and may not survive prolonged drought.

5. Shallow-rooted shrubs

Rhododendrons and azaleas are shallow-rooted shrubs particularly susceptible to drought stress, especially the large-leaved evergreen species which are also prone to wind damage when stressed.

6. Clematis

Many clematis varieties struggle with drought. Since they’re often grown for their spectacular flowering displays, maintaining adequate moisture around the roots is crucial, especially for autumn-flowering varieties, or spring-flowering varieties which flower on the previous year’s growth.

A gravel mulch can help keep the roots cool and damp. However, clematis orientalis, terniflora, and evergreens such as C. cirrhosa can be surprisingly tolerant of a hot dry period.

7. Ripening vegetables

If you’re growing vegetables, prioritise crops approaching harvest and those that split when moisture returns after drought, such as carrots. Runner beans and courgettes need moist soil to keep cropping and potato yields are heavily influenced by water levels.

8. All the pots

Anything in pots has limited access to soil moisture reserves and will need regular attention. Move containers to shadier spots if possible. Always use a pot saucer to hold water and prevent it draining away.

Plants that can survive without extra water

Research into plant water-stress shows that many common garden plants are surprisingly resilient.

Forsythia adopts a risk-taking strategy. It keeps growing and photosynthesising even when soil moisture becomes limited, gambling that it can regrow after damage. This makes it remarkably drought-tolerant. It is also tolerant of heavy pruning which can save it in severe conditions.

Mediterranean shrubs like lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme are naturally adapted to dry conditions. Their grey, hairy or waxy leaves are evolved to conserve moisture. Soil conditions are crucial though. If the plants are deep rooted they will draw water up, but if your soil is shallow or compacted they might well be less drought tolerant.

Sedums, sempervivums and other succulents store water in their fleshy leaves and can survive extended dry periods. RHS research identifies Sedum spectabile as particularly reliable under stress.

Ornamental grasses generally have efficient root systems and many species actually prefer drier conditions once established.

Established shrubs including cistus, phlomis, buddleja, cotoneaster, berberis and viburnum have deep roots and proven track records for drought survival. The RHS report identifies these as garden stalwarts, with high stress resilience.

Some trees, including eucalyptus, bay (Laurus nobilis) and holm oak are remarkably drought tolerant.

Those to sacrifice

Grass lawns are thirsty and can be left to go dormant. If you have a newly seeded or turfed lawn from this year, some limited watering may be justified. But in general, embrace the golden colour of water-stressed lawns. As long as you don’t create too many bare patches from over-use, the green colour and growth will come back when it rains.

Annual bedding plants like busy lizzies and begonias have shallow root systems and high water demands. However, they are only there for one season and are easily replaceable, so prioritise them for watering only if they’re particularly important to your garden’s summer display and you can spare the water. You could save some by potting them up and enjoying a display that needs less water.

When you do water, research shows that technique is crucial. Water thoroughly but less frequently to encourage deep root growth. Focus water at the base of plants rather than on leaves, and water in early morning or evening to reduce evaporation.

Consider “split-root” watering for established shrubs – water one side of the plant thoroughly, then switch to the other side two to three weeks later. This keeps plants hydrated while chemical signals from the dry side’s roots prevent excessive new growth that would increase water demands.

This drought is a taste of Britain’s gardening future. The plants struggling most in this year’s drought are likely to become increasingly unsuitable for British gardens without intensive irrigation.

Be willing to swap out plants that suffer in drought for new plants that are more tolerant. Refresh plantings to adapt to the new climate.

Summer heat waves are trickiest at night. When it’s too hot to sleep, you toss and turn on a sweat-soaked mattress. When you resort to air conditioning, you can wake up with dry skin in an ice-cold room.

Keeping a trusty fan blowing on you throughout the night seems like it would be the best middle ground for staying cool on humid evenings — but they can also bring on some annoying side effects.

Doctors have now revealed the ways that the constant breeze of a fan can affect your health and shared their top tips for reducing any potentially undesirable impacts.

1. Allergies or asthma

Turning a fan on throughout the night can stir up allergens in the room like dust, pollen and pet dander, which can trigger allergies, hay fever or worsen asthma symptoms.

“If your airway is already reactive and sensitive, the combination of circulating allergens and dryness can make symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or congestion worse,” says Dr. William Lu, the medical director at digital sleep clinic Dreem Health, according to Tom’s Guide.

The fan blades themselves also often have dust collected onto them, which only adds to the particles circulating around the room.

2. Stiff muscles

When cool air is concentrated on one part of your body for a prolonged period of time, it can cause muscles to tense up or cramp due to super localized blood flow.

Because of this, in addition to the fact that your body often stays still for hours at a time during sleep, you can wake up feeling sore, according to a Healthline article reviewed by certified physician Raj Dasgupta. It’s especially common to have a stiff neck.

3. Congestion

Constant airflow can dry out your nose, mouth and throat, prompting your body to produce more mucus in an attempt to combat the dryness. Overproduction of mucus can cause congestion, bringing on symptoms like a sore throat, stuffy nose, coughing and a sinus headache.

Dr. Julius Goh, an ENT specialist, wrote on The ENT Doctor blog: “The mucociliary clearance system (the microscopic hair-like cilia that sweep mucus and allergens out of your nasal passages) needs moisture to function. Dry it out and you’re essentially paralyzing your own nasal immune defense. Allergens sit longer. Symptoms worsen. You wake up sneezing before you’ve even had breakfast.”

4. Dry skin

A steady stream of cool air can also dry out your skin and eyes, making it even worse if you already deal with eczema, psoriasis or dry eye, according to a Verywell Health article reviewed by certified pediatrician Jonathan B. Jassey.

Reducing negative side effects

If you are still determined to stay cool this summer by sleeping with a fan on, there are precautions you can take to lower the chances of waking up with a sore neck or dry skin.

1. Aim the fan away from you or have it oscillate

Keeping your fan at a distance and pointed away from you will help manage the temperature in your room and keep air flowing without blowing air directly at you.

Better yet, if your fan has an oscillating feature, be sure to turn it on to ensure that the airflow is evenly distributed instead of drying you out.

“If you find that you get better rest when sleeping in a cooler temperature, then you should not avoid using a fan entirely,” Dr. Michael DeShields, the clinical advisor of the New Jersey-based Discovery Institute facility, explained. “You can easily eliminate possible negative consequences of using a fan during your sleep period by cleaning your fan at least periodically, replacing the HVAC filters, maintaining your home’s humidity level (between 30-50 percent), and positioning the fan so that it blows directly away from your head throughout the entire night.”

He advised, “In addition, if you awaken with dry nasal passages, you might consider spraying a saline solution into each nostril prior to going to bed.”

2. Keep your home clean

Vacuuming and dusting can help prevent dust and other allergens from being spread around your room. It’s also worth making sure to keep the blades on your fan clean to prevent particles from flying around even more.

Although it can cause pesky side effects, sleeping with a fan on is not likely to cause any longterm damage or serious illness. However, it is worth noting that fans do not cool the air — they move air across the skin, which helps sweat evaporate and make people feel cooler.