Warning to pet lovers!

[dia_liom]

This product is not good for dogs or cats.


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 andfamily. Please tell 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 andit 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 -
ttp://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. 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.

Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate ?
especially dark or baker's chocolate ? whic 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 WIDEST DISTRIBUTION

 

[K9_Trainer]

Yes, always be careful with what products you use in your home and yard. Be wary of anything that is supposed to deter animals of any species as they can be harmful to your dog as well.

Antifreeze is another one to watch out for. It smells really sweet and most dogs and cats wouldn't think twice before lapping some up, yet it's extremely harmful and can be fatal.

Good post Dia_Liom

 

[moonkitty]

Why would anyone want mulch that smelt like chocolate?

 

[dia_liom]

I guess it's an improvement over 'decaying plant matter' smell!
The smell of mulch doesn't bother me much, but it must bother some people...

 

[snoochface]

Anything with chocolate ingredients is toxic to dogs.

So are raisins, grapes, and onions. A friend's dog died from getting into a box of raisins they'd left on the counter. It was very sad because up to that point, none of us knew raisins were bad.

 

[Poohbear246]

Thank you for posting this! It's a reminder of how careful we have to be. I had no idea about grapes and raisins, btw!

 

[Dorf]

Alot of mulch is made from ground up pallets. From what I've seen there is no testing to see what kind of poison or chemicals may or may not have been spilled on them thus soaking into the wood. They just drop them in the grinder a big magnet gets the nails out as they are ground up. Then the mulch splinters go through a machine that dyes them what ever color is desired.

 

[K9_Trainer]

The worst kind of chocolate is semi sweet chocolate or baking chocolate. This is the kind of chocolate that is especially deadly. Second worst is dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is also harmful, but it isn't going to hurt the dog if he somehow finds and eats a little bit (depending on the size of the dog). White chocolate is safe though. It's made from cocoa butter, not cocoa beans.

 

[DrAmA_Q33n]

this is something i didnt know before.
thank you for sharing it.

~maechelle

 

[dia_liom]

bump

 

[Reilly]

Also people should be cautious when using Hartz products. Specifically flea treatments. There is a web site called Hartzvictims.org There have been many pets who have died from certain Hartz products.

 

[CFfosterANGEL1]

The worst kind of chocolate is semi sweet chocolate or baking chocolate. This is the kind of chocolate that is especially deadly. Second worst is dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is also harmful, but it isn't going to hurt the dog if he somehow finds and eats a little bit (depending on the size of the dog). White chocolate is safe though. It's made from cocoa butter, not cocoa beans.

You seem to know a lot about dogs. I have a question for you. My friend's dog who is a boxer, devoured a whole box of hershey's chocolate bars. He isnt dead, thankfully, because it is milk chocolate it isnt deadly? I will pass along this information! Thanks!

 

[snoochface]

Your friend's dog is probably not dead because of his weight - boxers are heavy and can handle higher quantities of toxic substances than smaller dogs - and because of the milk chocolate. Those two in combination likely saved him.

My 50 lb. lab mix ate half an Easter basket and she survived as well. Higher weight/bulkier dogs can tolerate more. However, milk chocolate is still deadly in high enough quantities, especially in smaller dogs.