Wow! Thanks for that heads up and sharing the great information.

I knew that chocolate was toxic to dogs and to not let them get into the
Snicker's bars (if there's even any chocolate in there) but I hadn't thought
of the dogs getting into the cocoa by way of licking or drinking water
leached through the mulch.

In our situtation the critters just have so many other great places to hang
out that they don't even bother with the battle.

Burl

"Tom Jaszewski" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 03 Apr 2003 01:07:55 GMT, "Burl" wrote:

First is that
although I prefer dogs


"We called the national Animal Poison Control Center in search of more
information, not only about cocoa mulch, but about preventing pet
poisoning in general, and talked with Dr. Michael Knight, the Center's
medical director.

Knight said all parts of the cocoa plant contain a compound called
theobromine, a central nervous system and cardiovascular stimulant.
"There are no hard numbers on just how much of the substance might be
in a given batch of cocoa shell mulch, but the caller's dog was
exhibiting symptoms consistent with theobromine poisoning -
restlessness, panting, pacing, anxious behavior."

http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Common/Documents/protpois.htm
The toxic compounds in chocolate are theobromine and caffeine, which
are classified as methylxanthine alkaloids. Theobromine is the primary
chemical involved in chocolate toxicity in small animals. Dogs and
cats are exposed to chocolate especially during the holiday season.
Because of their small body size relative to human beings, ingestion
of a fairly small amount of chocolate may cause toxicity. As little as
4 ounces of baking chocolate or 1 pound of milk chocolate could be
fatal if ingested by a dog weighing 10 pounds or less. Dogs will
readily eat a toxic dose of chocolate. Ingestion of the rich smelling
cocoa bean landscaping mulch also can be a cause of methylxanthine
toxicity. The relative amount of theobromine contained in various
chocolate compounds is described in the table below.


CHOCOLATE PRODUCT THEOBROMINE CONTENT (mg/oz)
Cocoa bean landscaping mulch 300-1200
Cacao beans 400-1500
Cocoa powder 400-550
Unsweetened baking chocolate 450

Semi-sweet baking chocolate (chips) 135-260
Milk chocolate 60
Hot chocolate beverage 12
White chocolate 1

http://petcare.umn.edu/FAQ/Toxicology/Chocolate.htm
http://hoaxinfo.com/chocolate.htm


"As crude a weapon as a cave man's club the chemical barrage has been
hurled at the fabric of life."
Rachel Carson