Garden Safety Awareness for your Dogs and Cats

One of my dear clients brought this to my awareness and I realized that we need to share this information with all dog and cat caretakers. Please inform every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don’t have a
pet, please pass this to those who do. My client shared this with me today. Over the weekend, the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from one of the common box stores 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 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, Mom woke up and took their dog out for her morning walk. Halfway 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,
they found the statement “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 *

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by various box stores 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 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.
Again, please share this with all dog and cat caretakers. May this awareness save many animals!
May this awareness have the manufacturer either remove this from the market or have clear warnings with large print right under the label that it is toxic to dogs and cats.
Corporate responsibility and compassion for all beings is a key foundation to creating a more humane and compassionate world. May all corporations integrate compassion, loving kindness and respect for all beings into their modus operandi.