The Amazing Adventures of Archibald Esq.

Horticultural Hound: Mulch Alert!

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Now you all know that I’m a keen horticultural hound. Yup. Nothing I like better than to have a nose around the garden… Ah! The smell of the greening leaves! To nose a delicate wild violet nestled in under the lavender… To feel the delicate fronds of a feathery fern as they brush my ears… Awoof! Nothing could be better!

Which is why I was very shocked to learn (via the RSPCA) that some garden mulches sold in many garden centres around the country could be potentially lethal to dogs.

Well, happily little feet’s composter has been producing lots and lots of green manure (and hey! It really looks like green/black manure!), so we won’t be needing to purchase any mulch this season, but I thought it best to alert those who aren’t so lucky to the dangers of a common gardener’s mulch: cocoa mulch.

Now most doggy people know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. But mulch? Garden mulch? So needed to keep in moisture and deter weeds? Well - yes. If dogs eat cocoa mulch it can poison them in just the same way as chocolate poisons dogs — and the culprit is the chemical theobromine.

For humans, theobromine is not poisonous, and is a primary chemical in chocolate. Chocolate was traditionally was used by the Aztecs as a stimulant and an aphrodisiac. However, the average Hershey’s bar of chocolate which is a lovely sweetener to sweet kisses in humans contains enough theobromine to kill a small dog. Awoooo! As theobromine is found in all parts of the cocoa plant, cocoa mulch is potentially as deadly to dogs as is chocolate itself.

Tim Miles, the RSPCA’s chief veterinary adviser, said: “The RSPCA is concerned that this product could cause dogs to become ill or even die. There are other types of mulch available which are not harmful to dogs. Dog owners using this type of mulch should do so extremely sparingly and keep an eye on their dogs when they are near it. If they see their dog eating it, they should seek veterinary advice immediately.”

Although cocoa mulch smells appetising to your average hound dog, it contains a strong concentration of theobromine. If digested, theobromine irritates the lining of the digestive system, causing vomiting and diarrhoea. In light of these irritations the animal’s heart rate increases, which quickly causes higher blood pressure, thus increasing the risk of heart failure. Dogs’ kidneys are also affected.

So for gardeners out there who also happen to have dogs who love the garden, let me recommend to you that you steer well clear of cocoa mulch! From the sounds of it, anything else is better than that!

Awoof! Archibald, your horticultural hound

Posted 14 May 07