Clicking Dog Style

Spring has arrived with garden and yard work in full swing! For those of you wanting to be ‘green’ and environmentally conscious by using more natural or organic ways to keep your gardens looking fantastic, be sure to read the ingredient list on the product. If you see ANY warnings regarding the safety of children or animals, do further research on the product before purchasing and using it.

The following information is from a 2003 posting from the Snopes.com site. Every Spring it makes the rounds. Here is a synopsis of the article. Go to the link below for the full Snopes article.

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 have already occurred. 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 *

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.

Have a very Happy Spring and keep your pets safe!