Cocoa Mulch

[labres1]

for those that dont already know please read:

This message came to one of the groups from Ali Taylor, Head of
Welfare, Battersea DH. They gave permission for it to be passed on.

Quote:
Yesterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and
wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving
friends and family. Please tell every dog owner you know.

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, Mum 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."

Also included was the following information -

Quote:
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by 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.

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.

[janrobinson]

Thank you for that info Ian How dangerous is that with no warnings on the bags.