[Dailydrool] Beware all dog and cat owners

[Ida]

A friend of mine sent this to me, so I am passing it on.  It has been
verified as true by "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 
 
   Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by 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
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 th eobromine, a xanthine
compound similar in effects to caffei n e 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! !!