I have just recieved this email, it came via a friend and originated from battersea
Quote:
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, 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 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.'
Also included was the following information -
Quote:
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.
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.