As a vet student, I took my chocolate lab, Cacau, to be spayed. Like many owners, I was told she needed to wear an e-collar to prevent her from opening her incision—an outcome that would be catastrophic. What I didn’t anticipate was the challenge of keeping it on her. Over just two days, she managed to run and rub her way through three cones. It quickly became clear that the standard e-collar was not a viable option.

In a desperate move, I cut leg holes into three of my old t-shirts and layered them on her, hoping one would last long enough for me to intervene. This experience was incredibly stressful, and I found myself more anxious about the week of recovery than the surgery itself. As a veterinarian and surgeon today, that experience made me deeply empathetic to how difficult it can be for owners to care for their pets after they return home from the hospital.

I often tell pet owners that I have the “easy job.” While their pets are under anesthesia and with me for only a few hours, the owner has the far more challenging role. They are responsible for ensuring a smooth recovery over the next several weeks, all while managing a pet that is awake, stressed, and uncomfortable.