Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Important Safety Info -- Cocoa Mulch
FYI: I heard this from a friend, so I'm forwarding it on to DK members
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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 also 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, 20 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.
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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 also 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, 20 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.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Debbie and Thomas on
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Wow- that is so horrible. We still have lots of snow here but I was thinking about what mulch to use in our gardens this spring. Cocoa mulch is appealing to people because of its dark rich colour. Thank you SO much for this warning- I will never use this now.
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Permalink Reply by Cam & Oski on
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This is tragic.
Basically cocoa mulch is made from cocoa bean shells, the theobromine component is also what is found in chocolate & is why it smells so good. Theobromine is also the component in chocolate that is poisonous to dogs. They have severely impaired metabolism of theobromine/chocolate & so the effects can last a long time. Symptoms are due to epinephrine overload (epinephrine is part of the flight/fight stress hormone in your system): vomitting, rapid heart rate, nervousness/excitability, muscle spasms, excessive thirst/urination, seizures, coma, & death. Here's a link to some more info: http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/nutritiondogs/a/chocolatetoxici.htm
It's strange that the company says that dogs won't eat it since it reeks of cocoa smell & Oski's never had chocolate but the smell alone has him crawling all over me. I remember when cocoa mulch was really popular 5-7 years ago. The following year you couldn't find it in any of the gardening stores in Seattle due to the fact that almost everyone in the Pac NW has dogs....
Very tragic & not to point fingers but I still can't believe that the company feels it's not enough of a hazard to pets to not put a warning on the bags. Sigh.
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Permalink Reply by Chris & Boys on
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Oh, that just breaks my heart. I have been using cocoa mulch for years. Luckily, my GR never found it appealing. Well, I guess with the new pup, I won't be using it any longer! Thank you so much for the "heads up"!
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