"COCOA" MULCH - POISONOUS TO PETS (vanity)

e-mail/snopes | 2/22/09 | N/A

[Kimberly GG]

I received the following and felt it important enough to post an FYI to all FReepers. Even if you don't use it in your yard, neighbors might.

"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. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of th eobromine, 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. "

[Kimberly GG]

guard your pets!

[Kimberly GG]

Can you doggy *ping* please?

[Kimmers]

good info to know....thanks for posting...

We are ceder mulch kind of people....

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks for the info. I haven’t found anything my lab won’t eat!

[mylife]

Same here.

[kanawa]

Woof

[LibFreeOrDie]

This is true, and not a hoax, according to Snopes.com and Hoax-slayer.com, although Hoax-slayer says” “While the claim that coca mulch can cause canine illness is factual, the particular incident described in the message is unsubstantiated.”

Also, a medical article from the ASPCA:

http://www2.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_publicationscocoa

[DogBarkTree]

Good to know. Sorry the dog died but shopping at Target was the first mistake.

[nmh]

Good to know. Sorry the dog died but shopping at Target was the first mistake.

LOL!

They sell it at other stores other than Target.

Geesh!

[vetvetdoug]

Theobromine or xanthine alkaloids are in cocoa, coffee, and cocaine. They are toxic. Just don't give your dog chocolate, coffee or cocaine. The consequences are dire. I once treated a police rottweiler that was permanently affected when he swallowed an open bag of cocaine. The dog seizured from the overdose and developed epilepsy from the event. He lived and worked several years after the incident but I had to keep him on anti-convulsants. Ironically, he would almost go into seizures whenever he found cocaine on subsequent searches.

[AGreatPer]

I never heard this before. I'm going to ask at work tomorrow if anyone ever heard of this. If I have to I'll make some phone calls to some executives. If necessary I'll call Mr. West, the president. I want to get an answer on this because I just got two dogs.

I just can't believe there wouldn't be a warning label if this was true.

Bill in Hershey

[RegulatorCountry]

There are several common foods that can be lethal to dogs. Chocolate. Grapes or raisins (found this out the hard way, bad bout of explosive diarrhea and a trip to the vet, but no lasting harm). Onions. Some say garlic is bad, some don't. I've fed mine garlic mixed with their food on occasion, to help with occasional minor flea problems, rather than use the insecticide shampoo, drops or pills. Doesn't appear to have harmed any of mine, one Lab lived to 14 1/2, one Chow-Lab cross is still going strong at 15.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Another thing to watch out is Xylitol, a form a sugar which is healthy for humans (often used by diabetics) but very, very bad for dogs.

I dropped a 3# paper sack of xylitol in my pantry and the bag split. While I took half a minute to get mu broom and dustpan, my dog shot over and lapped up as much of it as he could. I don't really know much much he ingested: maybe 1/2 cup or more.

Anyhow, he got very sick and the vet said he's amazed that he didn't die within half an hour. Xylitol drops the dog's blood sugar down to fatally low levels; and if he survives that, a couple of hours later it starts destroying the liver.

I've heard of people whose dog died from eating a single piece of xylitol-sweetened chewing gum.

[dervish]

Thanks will avoid

[Peace4EarthNow]

Doggie ping!!!

[Yardstick]

Xylitol gives me a headache and makes me feel run down. All it takes is a couple pieces of sugar free candy to do it. This Christmas I got a headache after eating some of those Hershey’s kisses with the cherry centers. Checked the ingredients and sure enough they had xylitol (which surprised me since they aren’t sugar free).

[submarinerswife]

Just curious but WHAT is the purpose of cocoa mulch? other thzn the claim to keep cats away?

[proudofthesouth]

Lowe’s was selling this stuff last summer and I almost bought it cause it smelled sooooo good! Glad I didn’t!

[Judith Anne]

Thanks, all, for the heads up. I knew about chocolate and grapes, but cocoa mulch is something new to me.

[OKSooner]

Didn't know about the chemical problem, but this stuff is pretty much next to useless as mulch IMO. Put it down and it acts as a mold incubator. Don't know why, but that was our experience.

If you need that acidic effect from your mulch, plain ol' pine bark is hard to beat. Pecan hulls are excellent if they're available in your area. Only problem with them is they still have bits of pecan flesh in them, which squirrels have a taste for.