Thanks for posting this. Not in any way saying that some dogs wouldn't be
attracted to the cocoa mulch but just to comment on our experience. We have
several dogs that spend all day at the nursery and they haven't been
attracted to it - maybe because there's enough action going on that they
aren't bored enough to explore the mulch.

Burl

"TOM KAN PA" wrote in message
...
In case you are planning to do mulching this spring!




http://www.aspca.org/site/News2?page...s_iv_ctrl=1400





ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Issues Cocoa Bean Fertilizer Warning

Friday, March 14, 2003

Organic mulch fertilizer may pose hazard to dogs

Contacts: Deborah Sindell

(212)-876-7700 ext. 4658



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(URBANA, IL) March 13, 2003 -- As spring approaches, people will start to

tend their lawns and gardens. Many will consider using cocoa bean mulch as

a fertilizer. Made from spent cocoa beans used in chocolate production,

cocoa bean mulch is organic, deters slugs and snails, and gives a garden
an

appealing chocolate smell. However, it also attracts dogs, who can easily

be poisoned by eating the mulch.

Cocoa beans contain the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Dogs are

highly sensitive to these chemicals, called methylxanthines. In dogs, low

doses of methylxanthine can cause mild gastrointestinal upset (vomiting,

diarrhea, and/or abdominal pain); higher doses can cause rapid heart rate,

muscle tremors, seizures, and death.

Eaten by a 50-pound dog, about 2 ounces of cocoa bean mulch may cause

gastrointestinal upset; about 4.5 ounces, increased heart rate; about 5.3

ounces, seizures; and over 9 ounces, death. (In contrast, a 50-pound dog

can eat up to about 7.5 ounces of milk chocolate without gastrointestinal

upset and up to about a pound of milk chocolate without increased heart
rate.)

If you suspect that your dog has eaten cocoa bean mulch, immediately

contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center

(1-888-426-4435). Treatment will depend on how much cocoa bean mulch your

dog has eaten, when the mulch was eaten, and whether your dog is sick.

Recommended care may include placing your dog under veterinary
observation,

inducing vomiting, and/or controlling a rapid heart beat or seizures.