There have been emails going around for perhaps as many as nine years in which dog owners are urged to beware of cocoa mulch and dog poisoning. A link to a website on urban legends in usually included for reference. Those who forward the message are rightfully concerned but looking a little deeper we find that while caution is indicated; panic is not.

In 2007, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) handled 26 cases of cocoa bean mulch ingestion—a third originating in California. “Dogs are attracted to the fertilizer’s sweet smell,” says Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA Veterinary Toxicologist and APCC Director, “but like chocolate, cocoa bean mulch can be too much for our canine companions.”

A call to Sacramento's phone service 311 yielded no information on dog poisonings in the city and the website of Animal Care and Control also had no specific mentions about cocoa mulch.

No question about it, chocolate and other products made from cacao beans — e.g., cocoa mulch — contain substances toxic to certain animals, including both dogs and cats.