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puca bearsA friend just sent me this - quite HORRIFYING!
Before Spring gets here, and we start to work in our yards
Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.
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.
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 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. 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 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 beanshells 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.
PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!!! You would think no one would want to use this stuff for fear of killing a neighbors pet.
huggies
Maria
Thank you so much for this warning!
A neighbor at our old house used this and yes, it smelled like chocolate chip cookies! The downside (before I heard THIS) was that it blew away easily so you'd have to keep replacing it several times a season.
I was considering using some for the scent this year... but now certainly will NOT!
Thank you!!!! 
DoodlebearsHow very sad for this to have happened. Maria thank you so much for posting this, I had been thing about buying some of this for my own garden...you could well have saved my dog's lives..thank you sooo much. I'll not be buying it!
[size=20]Thank you Thank you
love from Chunky X X X love from Lucy X X X [/size]
Hugs, Jane.
Past Time BearsThanks a bunch for the warning, Maria . . . truly helpful. :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Back Road BearsOK, I love chocolate but who wants to smell it in a garden? I'd rather smell roses, thank you! I got this email a few weeks ago, too.
And just an FYI: The amount of chocolate, or the toxic ingredient found in chocolate, Theobromine, would have to be quite high in order to cause death! My parents recently had to make a call to the vet because one of their little dogs ingested a fair amount of Hersey's chocolate... those individually wrapped kisses..... after determining how much he ate (which seemed like a lot to us) compared to his weight the vet said there was little to worry about. I've since read quite a bit on the internet about the amount of chocolate it takes to make a dog sick, never mind die. While some dogs may be more sensitive to it than others and it's not a good thing to let a dog have at all, it does take quite a bit to cause a problem.
Being a conscientious dog owner is key to avoiding a lot of potentially dangerous situations! 
But MULCH..... who woulda thought!?!
Little Bear GuyYou are right Daphne that the dog would have to consume large amount of the chocolate, but it also depends on content of chocolate the higher the content of pure cocoa the worse it is for dogs. In the case of the mulch lets' remember that that this is the shell from the cocoa bean so it would be the highest content possible.
Our dog has eaten so much chocolate her life it's amazing, not on purpose of course but she managed to eat two of the Dove truffle eggs you get a easter time and she had three quaters of a Terry's chocolate orange . She didn't even get sick, she's like a darn goat. Our vet told us that they had a lab that was rushed in to their office because it ate one chocolate from the Pot of Gold chocolate boxes, a lot depends on the dog and the type of chocolate.
I never liked this Mulch either because it just blew away so I have never used it.
Thanks for the information Maria .
big hugs
Shane
Dolls N DreamsThanks for the info, that is terrible!
I first heard about the dangers of this mulch last year. And I read just yesterday that Cocoa mulch has much more Theobromine in it than chocolate and is therefore much more toxic to dogs. It can easily kill a 50lb dog who ingests just a small amount of it! They really really should put a large warning label on this stuff!! Can't believe someone hasn't sued them yet over the death of their dog! How many dogs have to die before they do something! GRRRR!
Beth
Thanks so much for this information Maria
Hugs
Gail :hug: :hug: :hug:
puca bearsHi again.........
yes, this is really AWFUL..........not only are some unaware pet owners putting their animals life at risk, but what to my mind is worse is the callous and cynical attitude of the manufacturers. Seems like they have found a good way to make money out of cocoa waste products and blow the consequences.
they say that studies show that 50% of dogs can suffer from physical ill effects, but 98% of dogs won't eat the stuff............SO - they ARE aware of the problem! But if you believe their figures, that gives a 1% chance of your dog getting ill and possibly dying............. to my mind that is an unacceptable risk......................
and I just can't believe that only 2 dogs in 100 would eat the mulch............what did they do - offer the dogs a choice between a bowl of steak and the mulch???????????? Makes my blood BOIL 
huggies
Maria
Bubble Up Bears!Thank you for the info. 
Sad indeed but what really gets me in an up roar is the many commercial pet food companies that use ingredients in their food such as euthanized cats and dogs. Unthinkable but it is true. 
I have spent many years investigating and fact finding and it makes me sick to my stomach!!
If I may recommend two books;
Food Pets Die For (Shocking Facts About Pet Food) by Ann N. Martin and Stop The Shots! (Are Vaccinations Killing Our Pets?) By John Clifton.
I have several copies and if anyone is interested in reading them please contact me. I will send you a copy free of charge. Free shipping too. All I ask is you share and spread the word. I have no monetary gain from these books and I buy them by the dozens with my own money. That's how strong I feel about these two subjects . 
Thank you for the heads up Maria! :hug:
