I received the following warning from Pat Getz of Greyhound Protection League.
We all know that chocolate is bad for dogs, so the product Cocoa Mulch, for use in gardens ‘to keep cats away’ is especially dangerous. Personally, I don’t see how a chocolate product manufacturer can know about using chocolate in gardens!
Here’s more information.
Read this carefully. It could save a dog’s life.
WARNING – DO NOT USE COCOA MULCH IF YOU OWN PETS – DON’T USE THAT COCOA MULCH!
Verified by Snopes: http://www.snopes. com/critters/ crusader/ cocoamulch. asp
Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch 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 site gives the following information:
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. Just a word of caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.
Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make 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.
Another link on the subject of chocolate being toxic to dogs. http://www.sheltie-rescue.org/theobromine_-_cocoa_mulch_warning.htm
So pet owners everywhere need to be on their guard in respect of products sold in Pet & Garden Supply stores.
All pet owners, if you don’t have dog or cat pets, please forward this to those folks on your mailing list who do.
Interestingly, no matter how much research is carried out on the Hersey’s website, there is no mention of their Cocoa Mulch. Could this be because of the controversy surrounding it?