It happens at least once in every pet owner's life -- a week or more where the pet is recovering from an illness or surgery. You know you have to follow the vet's instructions, give the pet any prescribed medicine, and ensure it wears a cone if necessary. But there are additional ways to comfort the pet and make its recovery a little easier to bear.

Keep the Home Calm

Try your best to keep the house or apartment quiet. If you have to make any noise, try to do it away from where the pet is resting. This is not the week to embark on a massive meal prep project where you're using a blender all the time, for example, and if you can put off vacuuming, do so. There are cordless sweepers available (essentially the older, manual versions of vacuum cleaners) that you can use to pick up dirt in the meantime.

Also avoid strong smells. Cook if you need to, but avoid making pungent curries or slow-simmered chili, for example. Your pet's senses may be heightened as it tries to recover, so don't create sensory assaults.

Respect Your Other Pets' Actions

You definitely need to keep other pets (if you have them) away from the recovering pet if a contagious illness was involved, and you don't want the other pets chewing at the sick pet's stitches or bandages. But if one of your other pets wants to sit by the sick pet or seems overly protective, honor that. Pets do tend to comfort sick companions. So you other pet isn't necessarily being a pest -- it may be trying to help you comfort the sick pet.

Add New Water Stations

Your pet needs to stay hydrated, so it should always have ample water. If the pet is mobile while recovering, add water bowls to other areas of the house so that the pet is always in close reach of more water. Ensure the pet continues to drink, and clean the bowls and add fresh water frequently.

Your pet will need a lot of understanding; that may seem difficult when it resists your attempts to give it medication, for example. But your pet will get better and return to its old self soon. If you are worried about complications or want to have a vet check the pet out to ensure the recovery is going well, contact your vet or a nearby animal hospital, such as Norwin Veterinary Hospital.