Cocoa Mulch FYI

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."

Snopes.com 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
theobromine, 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.