The Dangers of Cocoa Bean Mulch

from Anita Laite
Cocoa Bean Mulch is widely available in garden supply stores for use as mulch in home gardens; it is a popular type of mulch, partly because of the chocolate smell that it has. Apparently some manufacturers of this mulch even advertise it as a way to keep cats out of your garden. However, if your pet can't resist the wonderful aroma and decides to eat it, it can prove to be fatal!

Cocoa Bean Mulch (which may also be called Cocoa Shell Mulch) is a byproduct from the manufacture of cocoa powder and other chocolate products. All parts of the cocoa bean contain "theobromine", a methylxanthine compound that has similar properties to caffeine and theophylline, and is toxic in high levels. It is this chemical that is the cause of chocolate poisoning, a problem that occurs mainly in pet dogs but occasionally in pet cats or other pet animals.

With chocolate, the level of theobromine varies with the type of chocolate; baking chocolate and dark chocolate contain the most theobromine. Cocoa bean shells may contain relatively high levels of theobromine, and some reports suggest that, for a medium-sized dog, consuming 9 ounces (about 250 grams) of mulch could be fatal.
The symptoms of methylxanthine toxicity vary with the dose consumed; at lower doses, the pet will develop gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting or diarrhea, but if the pet eats a toxic dose the symptoms will progress through muscle tremors, restlessness or hyperactivity, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), seizures, and death. Symptoms may not develop immediately, but will begin to appear as the toxin is absorbed into the body. Once absorbed the toxin remains in an active form for up to 12 hours.

The aroma of cocoa bean mulch is most intense for the first few weeks after it has been spread on the ground, making fresh cocoa bean mulch more attractive to our pets, especially young puppies or kittens (who are curious by nature). As the smell dissipates, dogs do not seem to be as attracted to the product, lessening the risk. However, it is common for this mulch to develop a coating of mold on it as it decomposes; depending on the type of mold that develops, this may represent a further risk of toxicity to pets. If you are both a pet owner and a gardener, you would be wise to consider a mulch that contains no cocoa bean shells for your landscaping projects. It is important for you to realize that there are generally no warnings about the potential toxicity to pets on the packaging of this mulch, so it is truly a buyer beware situation.    Blue Cross Animal Hospital New Archives

Raccoon roundworm  (Baylisascaris procyonis)

from Glenn Sinclair
Baylisascaris procyonis is a nematode parasite which is ubiquitous in raccoons.  The eggs are emitted in their excrement and can survive for years in the environment.  When ingested, they hatch ,l crawl around inside you and grow to full size.  The adults are about the size of earthworms.  The eggs are only destroyed by lye and fire.  The dozens of worms in each raccoon can produce millions of eggs a day, so the city of Toronto must be covered with them.  Untold millions of them have washed into the lake where they are now infecting fish and birds and adding them to their dispersion vectors.  This has happened to many other animals and to man.

Hundreds of people in Toronto may be infected.  The greatest majority of them being toddlers and very young children.  Very few people seem to know about it.  I've talked to my neighbours, especially those with young children, city workers and people from Greenpeace.

Why has the medical profession not dealt with this?  Almost all the victims have been toddlers.  Has no one in city hall done any research on raccoons?  Even after we became known as "Raccoon City"?  Somebody must have the duty to prevent precisely this kind of dangerous situation from developing.

Source: Atlanta Centre for Disease Control (CDC)

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no12/02-0795.htm