SPOILER ALERT: The Cujo novel ends with a devastating twist. In the book, an anguished Donna kills her canine oppressor moments before she's rescued by her husband, Vic. Only then does she learn that little Tad—having succumbed to prolonged trauma and dehydration—has perished in the back seat of their Pinto.

What happens at the end of the movie Cujo?

Although Donna stabs Cujo with the bat that's not what kills him. Cujo breaks into the house as Donna is helping Tad and she shoots Cujo with Bannerman's gun. The movie ends with Vic finding Donna and Tad. There is no mention of the rabies scare, Donna's treatment, or the outcome of the Sharp account.

How is Cujo killed?

In the book, Cujo's death is much more graphic. The end showdown is the same, but when Donna breaks the bat, she impales him in the eye with the sharp broken end, killing him instantly.