[Emailfda] Warning! Poisonous Mulch -- Deadly to Dogs

[Fan Email Distribution List]

   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
Mulch from 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>
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.


 
 

 

 

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