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View Full Version : Dog and Cat owners a warning


kgvettegirl
10-16-2008, 08:19 AM
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, 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 web site, 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 'Theo bromine'. 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.
Theo bromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or
baker's chocolate
which is toxic to dogs.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities
of the bromine, 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 the bromine.

PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!!!

MrsDM
10-16-2008, 08:49 AM
OMG that is horrible!!!

kgvettegirl
10-16-2008, 08:56 AM
Everyone around here is getting their gardens ready for winter and lots of mulch is going down. I'm giving this to all my neighbors. The cats stay in our yard but I don't want anything to happen to my friends dogs or cats.

luckythirteen05
10-16-2008, 08:57 AM
wow that's so bad!!! they better put a warning or take it off the market before they get sued by a whole bunch of people...

thanks for letting us know!

WebLady
10-16-2008, 09:40 AM
Yep, 'Theobromine' is the toxic substance in chocolate that can be harmful to pets; sadly some people still give it to their dogs.

As with all home and garden products, pet owners should be aware of what is in these things and what harm it could do to their pets.

I will surley forward this to all the pet people I know too!

mj512
10-16-2008, 02:52 PM
I knew you couldn't get chocolate to dogs as it can kill them, but I guess I never thought that chocolate could be in something like that. Who ever thought of chocolate mulch?!

kgvettegirl
10-16-2008, 03:33 PM
most mulch smells like cat pee to me. I guess that they thought it was a good thing to make it smell better.

caligal85
10-16-2008, 03:34 PM
I just passed this on to one of my girlfriends as they've just started letting their cat go outside. Thanks for the knowledge!

amisteratwisterandme
10-16-2008, 04:23 PM
My co-worker just had her dog pass away from eating sand! He was a 4 year old pit bull, most beautiful dog I have ever seen.

The vet said that the sand mixed with his mucus formed a type of cement and nothing could be done.

I guess there is danger everywhere.