Managing Fecal Incontinence in Pets: Tips From Hospice Veterinarian, Dr. Mary Gardner

Caring for a senior or terminally ill pet often brings challenges you never anticipated. While many pet parents prepare for mobility loss or weight changes, fecal incontinence in pets can be especially stressful and emotionally draining.

Accidents in the home can feel overwhelming physically, mentally, and emotionally, and over time, fecal incontinence may influence difficult end-of-life decisions. Dr. Mary Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Lap of Love, has supported countless families through this challenge and has also lived it personally with her own dog.

Below, Dr. Gardner shares practical strategies for managing fecal incontinence in pets, along with insights from caring for her dog, Sam, during the final months of her life.

Key Takeaways

* Fecal incontinence in pets is most often caused by neurological or musculoskeletal disease, not simple digestive upset.

* Incontinence places a significant physical, emotional, financial, and time burden on caregivers.

* Management strategies such as rectal stimulation, hygiene routines, and mobility aids can make daily care more manageable.

* When incontinence becomes unsafe or unsustainable, quality of life and hospice care options should be discussed.

Understanding fecal incontinence in pets

Fecal incontinence in pets means the affected animal can no longer control their bowel movements. It’s not the same as having diarrhea or an occasional accident, but the two can be related. Incontinence usually involves ongoing leakage, often without the pet realizing it’s happening. Pets may leave smears or pieces of stool around the house or soil their bedding and fur.

This kind of incontinence may be caused by nerve or spinal cord issues. Conditions like intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), degenerative myelopathy (DM), or spinal tumors can damage the nerves that control the muscles around the rectum. Dr. Gardner’s dog, Sam, developed spinal lymphoma, which led to her fecal incontinence. 

“I got Sam when she was 6 or 7 because I am a sucker for older pets. I always call her my Eeyore, because she was so flat-tempered and begrudgingly agreeable,” recalled Dr. Gardner. “She started to have some hind-end issues, and turns out she had spinal lymphoma, which is very rare. It started to affect her hind end, and then it paralyzed her tail, and she developed fecal incontinence."

Other causes of fecal incontinence include chronic arthritis, which makes it difficult for pets to maintain proper posture and empty their bowels, and side effects from medications or illnesses that affect the digestive system and alter stool quality. 

Whatever the cause, it’s important to work with your veterinarian to find out what’s going on and to discern whether it’s truly incontinence or a digestive issue. Understanding the reason behind your pet’s symptoms can help you make the best choices to support your senior pet’s quality of life.

How fecal incontinence in pets affects pet parents

For pet caregivers, fecal incontinence can quickly become overwhelming. Frequent accidents at home and the need for frequent house cleaning, laundry, and pet bathing can cause sleepless nights and tension among family members. Over time, it can wear you down physically, emotionally, and mentally.

For Dr. Gardner, problems with Sam began to affect her relationship and home life. Sam was a large dog with long fur and soft stools that were hard to clean. Accidents happened frequently and unpredictably. “Her stools were mushy, and she was going all the time,” she said. “My partner said, ‘This has got to stop,’ but she was still eating and happy. I knew the cancer would make it worse over time, and it became a huge caregiver burden. We, as veterinarians, often overlook some of the things that caregivers go through.”

To help pet parents talk about the caregiving burden, Dr. Gardner uses the four-budgets concept. You have limits to what you can provide for your pet, and evaluating them can help you set realistic goals. The four budgets include:

* Physical – Can you lift or clean your pet?

* Emotional – How is your pet’s condition affecting your mental well-being?

* Financial – Can you afford ongoing supplies and medical care?

* Time – Do you have the time to manage frequent accidents?

Managing fecal incontinence in pets

While there’s no cure for incontinence caused by nerve damage or disease, there are many ways to make daily life easier for you and your pet. 

1. Encouraging bowel movements

The most effective strategy Dr. Gardner found for Sam was stimulating her to defecate on a regular schedule, including before bed or before leaving the house. Inserting a cotton-tipped swab slightly into the rectum was enough to trigger a bowel movement, allowing her to control when and where it happened. 

“This simple technique gave us four more months together,” said Dr. Gardner. “It was such a lifesaver.”

Other strategies include touching an ice cube or an unlit matchstick to the rectal area. However, the cotton swab method is easiest and safest in most cases. Always talk to your primary or hospice care veterinarian before trying a technique like this at home.

2. Maintaining hygiene

Accidents, especially loose stools, can get matted into the fur or sit on the skin, leading to skin sores or infections. You can keep your pets with fecal incontinence clean and comfortable with:

* Routine sanitary shaves: Keep the fur around your pet’s tail and back end trimmed short.

* Daily hygiene: Use wipes or gentle pet shampoo to clean your pet’s skin daily.

* Waterproof covers: Use baby mattress protectors to cover beds and furniture—they’re easy to wash and relatively inexpensive, so you can keep several in rotation.

* Designated zones: Confine your pet to areas of the house with washable floors or mats.

Diapers and pee pads are generally not effective for fecal incontinence in pets. However, pee pads may be helpful for very small pets or for lining confinement areas to make them easier to clean. 

3. Mobility and lifting aids

If your pet is large or has trouble standing because of neurological issues, cleaning their rear end and helping them pass stool can be challenging. Assistance harnesses like the Help ’Em Up brand distribute weight evenly and provide leverage to hold up a large pet’s rear end without straining your back. 

Dr. Gardner also used a peanut-shaped yoga ball to place under Sam’s belly and support her during voiding and cleanup. Don’t hurt yourself caring for your pet—get creative or ask your veterinarian for help determining which assistance tools are best for you.

4. Diet and medical support

Some pets may not have true fecal incontinence but may have frequent accidents in the home due to diarrhea or soft stools. Managing stool quality can help to reduce the impact of this complicating factor. Strategies your vet may recommend include:

* Adding fiber to the diet

* Switching to a highly digestible food

* Reducing inflammation with medications

* Administering acupuncture

* Using probiotics or other supplements

Managing fecal incontinence in pets takes creativity, patience, and considerable trial and error. Following these tips may not eliminate every accident, but they can help protect your sanity, your senior pet’s quality of life, and make daily caregiving a little more manageable.

Fecal incontinence and quality of life in pets

Even with the best care and tools, fecal incontinence in pets may eventually become unmanageable. Worsening incontinence indicates a decline in your pet’s ability to function comfortably and may overwhelm your ability to provide adequate care.

Dr. Gardner explained that the decision to say goodbye is multifactorial, but fecal incontinence can become a leading quality-of-life factor influencing the decision. “We talk about quality of life for the pet,” she said, “but quality of life and the four budgets matter for the family, too.”

Some signs that fecal incontinence may be affecting your pet and family’s well-being enough to consider euthanasia include:

* Your pet becomes anxious or distressed after soiling themselves.

* Your pet develops sores, infections, or chronic skin irritation from waste.

* Your pet struggles to move away from their accidents or gets stuck in them.

* Your pet loses interest in food or favorite activities.

Consider your own physical and emotional limits, as well as your pet’s overall condition and prognosis, when deciding if euthanasia is on the table. If you can no longer safely lift, bathe, or clean your pet, or the stress is affecting your family, talk to your veterinarian about your options.

Supportive incontinence care for pets

Managing fecal incontinence in pets can feel overwhelming, making it hard for affected pet parents to enjoy their pet’s final weeks or months. Management strategies can help extend the time you have left with your furry pal. Still, it’s important to be honest about what you can and cannot do and talk to your family and veterinarian to determine when it’s time to say goodbye.

When incontinence causes distress, medical issues, or a breakdown in your ability to provide care, consider hospice care, telehospice, or in-home pet euthanasia with Lap of Love. Find an end-of-life care veterinarian near you, or contact us to learn more.

About the Author - Dr. Mary Gardner

There’s nothing Dr. Mary Gardner loves more than a grey-muzzled dog or a wise old cat! She is co-founder and CEO of Lap of Love, a nationwide network of veterinarians dedicated to end-of-life care. She is committed to making final goodbyes as peaceful as possible, with compassionate support for both pets and their families.

A proud University of Florida graduate, Dr. Gardner is a nationally recognized speaker on geriatric and end-of-life veterinary care. Her work focuses on advancing awareness and medical care for aging pets, while educating both veterinary professionals and pet parents on how to navigate life's final stages.

She is the author of two books: It's Never Long Enough (for dogs) and Nine Lives Are Not Enough (for cats), and co-author of Forever Friend, a series of children’s activity books designed to help kids navigate the loss of a beloved dog or cat.