for the pet owners

[KYSBF]

Not too sure if this has already been posted, but if true could be a concern.

'Sunshine of Africa - Cocoa Shell Mulch'

Please share this with all the pet owners you know and ask them to do the same.

This information will only take a few minutes to share and might prevent the senseless death of other pets.



Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do. Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Target, 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.

Over the weekend, the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. The dogs loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog (Calypso) decided 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, Mum 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."

*Snopes site gives the following information -http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp <http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp>


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

[Yaw]

Thanks for the heads up.
Luckily I don't like gardening and my 3 (furry kids) Cats are purely indoor cats.

[lemon]

Thanks for the that,as I have labs but dont use anything in the garden at all.{just incase** they eat it.

[Ralliart]

thanks for head up about this, i'll take note.

[DJM83]

Thanks mate, great post. My hairy friend lives inside though which is good. And before anyone posts anything ANTI warnings and more WILL be handed out.

[Meg's GT's]

Just found this after doing some digging (no pun intended)

Garden mulch - cocoa mulch

Cocoa Mulch is also known as 'Cocoa Bean Mulch' or 'Cocoa Shell Mulch' and is used as a mulch in home gardens in some countries. It is a byproduct of the manufacture of cocoa powder and other chocolate products. There have been several reports of pets being poisoned by cocoa mulch in other countries such as the US. As far as RSPCA Australia is aware cocoa mulch is generally not available in Australia.

All parts of the cocoa bean contain "theobromine", a methylxanthine compound that has similar properties to caffeine and is toxic to dogs and other pets at certain doses. It is this chemical that is the cause of chocolate poisoning, a problem that occurs mainly in pet dogs but also occurs occasionally in pet cats or other pet animals.

The level of theobromine varies with the type of chocolate; baking chocolate and dark chocolate contain the most theobromine. Cocoa bean shells may contain relatively high levels of theobromine, and some reports suggest that, for a medium-sized dog, consuming about 250 grams of mulch could be fatal.

The symptoms of theobromine ingestion vary with the dose consumed. At lower doses, the pet may develop gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting or diarrhea but should recover with supportive veterinary care. If the pet eats a toxic dose the symptoms are more serious involving muscle tremors, restlessness or hyperactivity, elevated heart rates, seizures and possibly death. Symptoms may not develop immediately, but will begin to appear as the toxin is absorbed into the body. Immediate veterinary attention is required.

Unfortunately the chocolate aroma of the mulch makes it a popular choice for gardeners and also highly attractive to pets as something to eat. It is also common for this mulch to develop a coating of mould as it decomposes; depending on the type of mould that develops, this may represent a further risk of mould toxicity to pets.

Whilst cocoa mulch is apparently not available in Australia at this stage, should this type of product become available in future RSPCA Australia recommends that gardeners avoid using any cocoa-containing mulch products if animals have access to the garden.

It is also important to note that there are generally no label warnings about the potential toxicity to pets on the packaging of cocoa mulch so owners may not be aware of the serious risk these products pose to their pets.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by Meg's GT

Just found this after doing some digging (no pun intended)

I would have thought that your first bit of digging would have to be whether or not we have Home Depot or Foreman's Garden Supplies in Australia, which we don't.

It's good to know that it's not sold in Australia though. Wouldn't want our two dogs ingesting anything that could potentially kill them.

[Meg's GT's]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

I would have thought that your first bit of digging would have to be whether or not we have Home Depot or Foreman's Garden Supplies in Australia, which we don't.

Well I thought that there was no point stating the obvious

[ltd]

What's more important is the fact that theobromine is found in chocolate, and whilst humans actually can metabolise it so as to avoid poisoning dogs and cats can't.
Ever heard that old wives tale about how chocolate is deadly for animals? That's why.
It is also in coffee and tea, and is apparently the reason humans can become addicted to chocolate.

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by ltd

What's more important is the fact that theobromine is found in chocolate, and whilst humans actually can metabolise it so as to avoid poisoning dogs and cats can't.
Ever heard that old wives tale about how chocolate is deadly for animals? That's why.
It is also in coffee and tea, and is apparently the reason humans can become addicted to chocolate.

Mate.
When I was a young fella. around 10 or so, my friend that lived 2 doors down from me, his cat had kittens. We thought it was funny watching the kittens eating chocolate, it would take them ages to chew. The next day the kittens were dead. I know I never intended to hurt the kittens but to this day I still get upset that 3 little kittens are dead because of me. I am so paranoid about it now even to dropping crumbs of ice-cream chocolate.
I am ashamed to admit the above, but it does confirm its no myth.

[smciner1]

Thanks for the headsup.

[Romulus]

I know chocolate is bad for cats and dogs, I don't let my cats get near it. My kids also understand the importance of the cats not eating it. It's easily explained to them; if they eat it they will die. They fully understand.

Thanks for the heads up on the mulch.

[Iggypoppin']

What quantities of chocolate is harmful to dogs? My old whippet x ate half a large Easter egg once, he was fine?

[Iggypoppin']

What quantities of chocolate is harmful to dogs? My old whippet x ate half a large Easter egg once, he was fine?

[Geez Louise]

There are alot of foods you shouldn't feed to your dogs so I suppose the same is for cats.

When we first got our Bulldog, a friend told me never give him anything with onion or garlic in it. I found this website Linky and it lists some of the foods and the reasons why they can't eat them.

[seduced_xr]

i now have an answer when my parents yell at me for never doing any gardening dont want to harm my cat now do i

[FGII-XR6]

you shouldn't give them any. dog chocks are actually carrob not real chocolate.

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

What quantities of chocolate is harmful to dogs? My old whippet x ate half a large Easter egg once, he was fine?

[ltd]

Originally Posted by Yaw

Mate.
When I was a young fella. around 10 or so, my friend that lived 2 doors down from me, his cat had kittens. We thought it was funny watching the kittens eating chocolate, it would take them ages to chew. The next day the kittens were dead. I know I never intended to hurt the kittens but to this day I still get upset that 3 little kittens are dead because of me. I am so paranoid about it now even to dropping crumbs of ice-cream chocolate.
I am ashamed to admit the above, but it does confirm its no myth.

Mate, you can't blame yourself for what you did as a young kid. You weren't trying to hurt the kittens merely were giving them something you thought they liked. At age 10, I used to feed my dog Toobs because of the crunch sound they made when she'd chew them. I didn't do it to hurt her or in any way, nor did I think it was unsafe. I also gave my dog a little chocolate at times and I adored her, would never hurt her; I always believed it was an old wives tale and a myth too.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you shouldn't give them any. dog chocks are actually carrob not real chocolate.

It was unintentional, silly pup stole the egg. But I mean, if they manage to flog some choccy, and eat a bit, at what stage should I worry...

[Bluefreak]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

It was unintentional, silly pup stole the egg. But I mean, if they manage to flog some choccy, and eat a bit, at what stage should I worry...

I used to share a family block of cadbury's with my dog almost every saturday night (going back nearly 10 years) - when we moved suburbs and I found a new vet for annual shots, he commented on the old boys excellent condition - I said it must be all the chocolate he eats and the vet laughed thinking I was joking... When I explained I wasn't joking and it actually was a ritual I shared with the dog, he nearly fainted... I was informed then and there of the dangers and no longer feed him chocolate but half a family block every week for 3 years did him no harm, he's 15yo now and in fantastic health...

[FTE72]

Originally Posted by Bluefreak

I used to share a family block of cadbury's with my dog almost every saturday night (going back nearly 10 years) - when we moved suburbs and I found a new vet for annual shots, he commented on the old boys excellent condition - I said it must be all the chocolate he eats and the vet laughed thinking I was joking... When I explained I wasn't joking and it actually was a ritual I shared with the dog, he nearly fainted... I was informed then and there of the dangers and no longer feed him chocolate but half a family block every week for 3 years did him no harm, he's 15yo now and in fantastic health...

It was probably because the choccy you shared was very low in actual cocoa solids(dark has a lot more) and probably less of the theobromine as a result.(probably a large dog too?) Same would go for the easter eggs, they typically have even less cocoa solid than normal cadbury blocks, they are mostly sugar and milk.
Still not good for dogs and cats! just probably gives them a more tolerable dose.