Cocoa Mulch Warning for Dog Owners
 

Just passing along from a friend...I don't have dogs and most don't use mulch around here...but there are some that do...

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Subject: ALERT--For all caring dog and owners. ALERT! Please read
>> and
>> pass on
>> Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't
>> have a
>> pet, please pass this to those who do.
>>
>>
>> Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes
>> purchased
>> Cocoa Mul ch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it
>> smelled
>> and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog
>> Calypso
>> decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large
>> helping.
>> She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but
>> wasn't
>> acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso
>> out for
>> her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died
>> instantly.
>>
>> Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon
>> further
>> investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to
>> dogs and
>> cats.
>>
>> Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that
>> 'It is
>> true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch
>> can
>> suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each
>> individual dog).
>> However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'
>>
>> This Snopes site gives the following information:
>> http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp
>>
>> Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden
>> Supply and
>> other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called '
>> Theobromine'.
>> It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really
>> attracts
>> dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already
>> occurred in
>> the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or
>> baker's
>> chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially
>> toxic
>> quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to
>> caffeine
>> and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch
>> made
>> from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours
>> later.
>> Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells
>> revealed the
>> presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.