Attention PET OWNERS

[iwannaprettyone]

Checked on snopes.

Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don''t have a pet, please pass this to those who do.


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 /www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp]http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp[/url]">

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman''s G arden 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. 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.

PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!!!

 

[musey]

How incredibly sad.

 

[Steel]

Thanks for sharing IWanna. I will pass it on. Those poor owners...not to mention the poor dog.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I want to know why the owners didn''t keep their dog from eating it. SHAME ON THEM ONE. And why they even BOUGHT something with cocoa in it (shells or whatever) when as dog owners, they should have known it was toxic to their pets. SHAME ON THEM TWO.

I feel incredibly sad for the doggy...he didn''t know any better.

 

[geckodani]

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Date: 2/12/2009 3:07:54 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
I want to know why the owners didn't keep their dog from eating it. SHAME ON THEM ONE. And why they even BOUGHT something with cocoa in it (shells or whatever) when as dog owners, they should have known it was toxic to their pets. SHAME ON THEM TWO.

I feel incredibly sad for the doggy...he didn't know any better.

Unfortunately, we as pet owners don't always think this way and surely NEVER imagined that a) dog would find mulch appealing b) would be a toxic product.

Same with horses, sooooo many owners do not walk their pastures or paddocks and there is a lot of poisonous plantage that the pony love to get into.

So, I think it was a pure accident on the behalf of the owners.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/12/2009 3:19:26 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone

Date: 2/12/2009 3:07:54 PM

Author: MonkeyPie

I want to know why the owners didn''t keep their dog from eating it. SHAME ON THEM ONE. And why they even BOUGHT something with cocoa in it (shells or whatever) when as dog owners, they should have known it was toxic to their pets. SHAME ON THEM TWO.


I feel incredibly sad for the doggy...he didn''t know any better.

Unfortunately, we as pet owners don''t always think this way and surely NEVER imagined that a) dog would find mulche appealing b) would be a toxic product.


Same with horses, sooooo many owners do not walk their pastures or paddocks and there is a lot of poisonous plantage that the pony love to get into.


So, I think it was a pure accident on the behalf of the owners.

I must be a little on the overprotective side, then. If I had a dog I wouldn''t have even bought this stuff. It just seems like common sense.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

Date: 2/12/2009 3:20:33 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 2/12/2009 3:19:26 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone


Unfortunately, we as pet owners don''t always think this way and surely NEVER imagined that a) dog would find mulch appealing b) would be a toxic product.


Same with horses, sooooo many owners do not walk their pastures or paddocks and there is a lot of poisonous plantage that the pony love to get into.


So, I think it was a pure accident on the behalf of the owners.

I must be a little on the overprotective side, then. If I had a dog I wouldn''t have even bought this stuff. It just seems like common sense.

Yep, it''s all good MP- not everyone can be sensible all the time and I am sure they feel terrible about it.

Side note: Same thing with sugarfree gum too, so put up your purses ladies.

 

[violet02]

Date: 2/12/2009 3:24:53 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone

Date: 2/12/2009 3:20:33 PM
Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 2/12/2009 3:19:26 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone


Unfortunately, we as pet owners don''t always think this way and surely NEVER imagined that a) dog would find mulch appealing b) would be a toxic product.


Same with horses, sooooo many owners do not walk their pastures or paddocks and there is a lot of poisonous plantage that the pony love to get into.


So, I think it was a pure accident on the behalf of the owners.

I must be a little on the overprotective side, then. If I had a dog I wouldn''t have even bought this stuff. It just seems like common sense.

Yep, it''s all good MP- not everyone can be sensible all the time and I am sure they feel terrible about it.

Side note: Same thing with sugarfree gum too, so put up your purses ladies.

I''ve heard that about sugar free gum and I''m really lucky my dog doesn''t get into it because I''ve seen a piece on the floor before that may have falled out of a pocket or a purse. I have no idea about all of the plants on my patio so I don''t let my dog out there alone. I''m overprotective about it too. And I agree wth MP about not buying it in the first place, but not everyone knows all of this info. I tell people about the gum and people are always suprised about that one.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 2/12/2009 4:27:28 PM
Author: violet02

Date: 2/12/2009 3:24:53 PM

Author: iwannaprettyone

Date: 2/12/2009 3:20:33 PM

Author: MonkeyPie

Date: 2/12/2009 3:19:26 PM

Author: iwannaprettyone

Unfortunately, we as pet owners don''t always think this way and surely NEVER imagined that a) dog would find mulch appealing b) would be a toxic product.

Same with horses, sooooo many owners do not walk their pastures or paddocks and there is a lot of poisonous plantage that the pony love to get into.

So, I think it was a pure accident on the behalf of the owners.

I must be a little on the overprotective side, then. If I had a dog I wouldn''t have even bought this stuff. It just seems like common sense.

Yep, it''s all good MP- not everyone can be sensible all the time and I am sure they feel terrible about it.

Side note: Same thing with sugarfree gum too, so put up your purses ladies.

I''ve heard that about sugar free gum and I''m really lucky my dog doesn''t get into it because I''ve seen a piece on the floor before that may have falled out of a pocket or a purse. I have no idea about all of the plants on my patio so I don''t let my dog out there alone. I''m overprotective about it too. And I agree wth MP about not buying it in the first place, but not everyone knows all of this info. I tell people about the gum and people are always suprised about that one.

I actually didn''t know about the gum. But then, I don''t have a dog lol. I just know about the chocolate because I was at a friends house when her dog ate a WHOLE bag of hersheys kisses. She flipped out and we had to rush her dog to the vet. She was ok, but it was scary!