There are Outdoor Hazards Lurking
Being what dogs are, and knowing that they have highly specialized senses, we must be careful to safeguard them from potential dangers that we may not even consider, unless we are watching carefully.
Dogs love to investigate their world with their nose since it is able to gather far more information about what’s out there than we probably even want to imagine. Consequently, when you are thinking about putting mulch down around the yard, think carefully about the type of material that you use.
At all costs, cocoa bean mulch should be avoided if you have companion dogs, or are even considering adding a new dog member to your family. Though the bean pods will degrade into organic fertilizer, have a pleasant color and mouthwatering aroma, they are harmful to a dog that ingests any amount of them.
The shells contain the residual amounts of the theobromine that is used in chocolate production. It is this very substance that makes chocolate so toxic to dogs, along with the small but not insignificant amounts of caffeine that are present in the unprocessed beans.
Dogs that consume even minute amounts of the cocoa mulch are susceptible to suffering illness ranging from mild gastrointestinal upset to seizure, irregular or accelerated heartbeat and potential death as a result of their indiscriminant eating of the mulch.
There are remedies but none are certain since it may be difficult to know just how much of the substance the animal has ingested. Perhaps it is best not to use the mulch around the family fur persons.
Instead, you might want to learn about natural dog treats by reading Treat Your Dog to Biscuits.
