My dog twitched, moaned, and moved after death. Is it normal?

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s not unusual for their mouth to be in a variety of different positions at death, and depending on their skin type and breed, some dogs will appear to have their eyes closed. So the way you found her isn’t terribly out of the ordinary. I am so sorry for your sudden loss. Let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.

Hello. I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved Eppie. Many changes happen during the dying process. The heart slows, blood pressure rises & then falls, & oxygen is redirected away from limbs & muscles to the brain & internal organs. Often there are strange & abnormal movements, but these are totally involuntary. It is very, very unlikely that Eppie was aware at this point, so there was no conscious effort to control things, & blessedly, pain & discomfort disappear. Please accept my condolences on her passing & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm so very sorry that you had such a traumatic experience with losing Lani. What it sounds like you are describing as her last breaths are something called agonal breathing. It occurs after consciousness is lost. It is an unconscious reaction that we will sometimes see just before a dog dies. From your description of events, I suspect that Lani died in her sleep. When her heart stopped, her body had some unconscious reactions that look disturbing to us, but she was likely already gone or at least unconscious by then. I hope that was helpful in allowing you to understand what occurred yesterday. My deepest sympathies in your loss of Lani.

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.

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).

First off I'm very sorry your cat died! Please accept my condolences for your loss. The source of energy that helps move muscles is known as ATP. When a living organism dies, the ATP leaves the muscles, and this can lead to twitching of body parts. It can be normal that you see a tail moving as an animal passes away. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

Hi! Sorry to hear about Cassie. It is normal for a pet to pass urine and stool after dying. The urine and stool that are normally held inside the body passively leave the body, as all of the body sphincters relax. Stiffness is a natural process after death as well, which is called rigor mortis, which is caused by chemical changes in the muscles after death.