cocoa shells as a garden mulch - warning!

[Merlin]

I may have mentioned this before but was reminded today when I saw bags of the stuff at my local Point Vert!  It can be lethal to dogs!  Whilst I was mentioning this to the guy who runs the shop and making sure he mentioned the fact to anyone who bought it, a lady listening at the check out did her pieces!  She said her dog was terribly ill and the vet didn't know why but she now put two and two together after hearing what I said as she had just bought some for her flower beds!  She dumped her shopping and hurtled off to the vet...........  Apparently it smells of chocolate but depending on how much the dogs ingest, it can make them very ill indeed and worse!  Sorry if I've posted this before, but you can't be too careful.

[Polly]

The report on the Snopes website makes interesting reading

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

[fordlorrest]

Cocoa Mulch is also known as  'Cocoa Bean Mulch' of 'Cocoa Shell Mulch' and is used as mulch in gardens in some countries. It is the byproduct of the manufacture of cocoa powder and other chocolate products. There have been several reports of pets being poisoned by cocoa mulch in many countries.  Unfortunately, The chocolate aroma of the mulch makes it a popular choice for gardeners and also highly attractive to pets  as something to eat. It is common to develop a coating of mould as it decomposes; depending on the type of mould that develops and this may represent a further risk of mould toxicity to pets. It is also important to note that there are generally no label warnings about the potential toxicity to pets on packaging of cocoa mulch so owners may not be aware of the serious risk these products pose to their pets.

[Théière]

Quite right, stick to something mulch safer like

Strulch

[BJSLIV]

Strulch is supposed to be very good.

I understand that it's now available in France..

Edit Just found a French link.....

www.topterre.com