Cocoa Mulch - TOXIC to dogs!
This was posted at the Jindo Rescue Group forum, so I'm passing it along, it is not a personal account and I can't contest to the truthiness of the story, or understand how a dog owner could purchase something with cocoa their dogs could get at BUT it's important to be aware:
______________________________________
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.
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." True information about the mulch
can be found here - http://www.snopes. com/critters/ crusader/ cocoa.htm
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. Seve ral 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.
Please
email the manufacturer at michellemessick@ hersheys. com and request
that accurate information about this product be posted on the packaging
to avoid further tragedy. PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION !!!
______________________________________
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.
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." True information about the mulch
can be found here - http://www.snopes. com/critters/ crusader/ cocoa.htm
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. Seve ral 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.
Please
email the manufacturer at michellemessick@ hersheys. com and request
that accurate information about this product be posted on the packaging
to avoid further tragedy. PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION !!!
Comments