My dog died. Is it normal for their eyes and mouth to be closed?

These are the typical signs of a dog dying, The twitching may just be reflexes, and the mouth opening and closing is the unconscious brain which is not getting oxygen (because the heart already stiopped beating) telling the lungs to breathe. But, at that time the dog is already dead. I am sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry to hear this happened. It sounds like he was already in rigor mortis when you found him since you were unable to open the mouth easily. Rigor can start as soon as 10 minutes or up to three hours after death and can last as long as 72 hours. So that will not help you pinpoint when he died or what caused his death. The corneal reflex (eye) stops very quickly after death, within minutes. I do not know if he could have been saved if you had found him earlier. I do not have enough information to go on. If you want to know for sure what caused his death you should have your vet do a necropsy (autopsy).

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bready! I am so sorry for your loss! I don't think that it means she was in pain when she passed that her paw was in her mouth. If everything else about her position was relaxed then when she passed her mouth may have turned that way. She could have been biting her paw or licking it when she passed as well. I know it is hard to do, but try to think of all the good times and try not to get hung up on the paw being in her mouth. Again I am very sorry about Bready!

I'm so sorry to hear this happened. I would not say that blood is normal unless there was concurrent trauma. With drowning usually the fluid that comes from the nose and mouth is frothy, clear/white/grey and not bloody. If you want to get a better idea of what happened to him you could have your vet do an autopsy on him.

Oh how horrible! I am so very sorry to hear that! I certainly can't tell you exactly what happened, but for a dog to have been hit by a train and killed with the body intact, they likely sustained a tremendous blow that rendered them unconscious immediately and there was enough damage to their internal organs that they never woke up. I think the tongue sticking out was likely because of the force with which Copper was hit. The tongue likely turned black quickly because of the lack of blood supply if there was internal organ damage. I am so very sorry for your loss and can imagine how difficult this is for you. I hope knowing that they were likely unconscious immediately gives you some comfort.

What a horrible thing to come home to, I'm very sorry! Some cats can die sooner than 15 or 16, it all depends on their health. It could be that TC had a serious illness, such as cancer, that she didn't show any outward signs of, and that's what caused her to pass away. When cats pass away, the muscle that help close the eyes and mouth relax, so that's why her eyes and mouth are open, it doesn't mean she suffered. Honestly, without seeing her in person, I can't tell you if she did suffer or not, but I recommend taking her into the vet in the morning. The vet can do a necropsy (an autopsy for animals) that may give the cause of death, and give both you and your boys peace of mind. If you do plan on doing that, I recommend placing her in a bag, and possibly keeping her in the garage overnight. If it's very cold where you are, the cold temperature of the garage will slow down the decomposition process. Again, I'm sorry for your loss :-(

First off, I'm so sorry Choko died! It sounds like you were seeing agonal breathing, which can occur right before death. It's a sign the body is not receiving the oxygen it needs, and is indicative of cardiac arrest. More than likely, his heart rate was pretty slow at first so that it was hard to detect, and then Choko entered his final stages of life before passing away. This can happen in animals as they pass away, and I've personally seen it myself. It can be upsetting to see, but it is considering a natural behavior if that makes sense. It doesn't mean he died twice, so you don't have to worry about that. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss, please accept my condolences.