Cocoa Mulch is Toxic to Dogs and Cats!

As pet owners we know we need to keep chocolate away from our pets but it is not something we think about when we are buying supplies for our Spring and Summer Gardens. I t might seem like something fun to do but please so not buy Cocoa Mulch for your garden. Please be aware that Cocoa Mulch is toxic to both cats and dogs and can be potentially lethal if ingested in large enough quantities.
The mulch has NO warnings printed on the label, thoguh upon further investigation and a visit to the companies website you will find this: "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."Apparenly they have never met Indiana because there is nothing she will not try to get in her mouth including mulch from around neighbors trees.
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other garden supply stores contains a lethal ingredient called 'Theobromine'. 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.
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.
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.)