WARNING - DO NOT USE COCOA MULCH IF YOU OWN PETS!!!!!
Verified by Snopes-Verified also by Google.
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, 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 "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 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 Theo bromine, 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 Theo
bromine. Please email the manufacturer at michellemessick@Hershey's.com and
request that accurate information about this product be posted on the
packaging to avoid further tragedy.
PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION !!!
Verified by Snopes-Verified also by Google.
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, 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 "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 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 Theo bromine, 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 Theo
bromine. Please email the manufacturer at michellemessick@Hershey's.com and
request that accurate information about this product be posted on the
packaging to avoid further tragedy.
PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION !!!
