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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3><B>Hi all--my husband sent me this and wanted
me to warn all on the Drool about this, so here it is (spread the Word
Droolers!)</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>ruth and huckleberry</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><B></B></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><B></B></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><B></B></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><B>VERY IMPORTANT!!</B></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=3><BR><BR></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=red
size=3><B>Please tell every dog or cat owner you know</B></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=3>. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>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.' The Snopes
site gives the following information: </FONT><A
href="http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp"
target=_blank><FONT face=Arial color=blue
size=3><U>http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp</U></FONT></A><FONT
face=Arial size=3> 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 the eobromine, 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.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=red size=3><B>PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST
DISTRIBUTION!!! </B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>