Crystal Wellman wrote:
>I write a local pet care newsletter and in my last issue I wrote about
>Cocoa Mulch.  Cocoa mulch has been the cause of death in several dogs.
>It contains Thebromine which smells like chocolate and is fatal.
 
I have never seen mulch from cocoa trees ( Theobroma cacao ) on the market
in fact, I would be surprised to hear that such a product actually exists
for sale within North Americ ), but 'coco-mulch' or 'coco-peat' or 'coir'
made from coconut ( Cocos nucifera ) husks/bark is extremely common, and
contains no harmful substances (I cannot offer any data regarding
potential alimentary blockages from ingestion, as there isn't currently
any research on the subject).
 
That being said, the potential risk from ingestion of cocoa-plant products
in ferrets has not been established well, as empirical data would suggest
that ferrets are more tolerant of theobromine than Canidae or Felidae.  As
well, I am not familiar with the actual content of theobromine in mulch
made from cocoa plants, but I would imagine it to be fairly small, as
such chemicals tend to be concentrated in the fruits and leaves of plants,
not the bark.
 
Crystal, I would be most interested in viewing any documented veterinary
data regarding poisonings in dogs from cocoa-mulches, and the actual
names/manufacturers of the products involved.
 
G. A. Christian Bilou
[Posted in FML issue 3653]