COCOA BEAN MULCH AS A CAUSE OF METHYLXANTHINE TOXICOSIS

• Low doses of methylxanthines in dogs cause gastrointestinal upset

• High doses cause tachycardia, muscle tremors, seizures and even death

• Drolet documented the death of a dog after eating a large amount of cocoa 

   bean shell mulch containing 0.46% theobromine

• Cases we managed involved dogs which developed vomiting, tremors,

   tachycardia, hyperactivity, or diarrhea with full recovery

• Clinical severity appears to correlate with increasing qualitative dose

   descriptions

• Treatment of affected dogs includes multiple dose activated charcoal

  (2 g/kg PO) and tremor control with cardiac monitoring

• Urinary bladder catheterization may reduce reabsorption of methylxanthines

• Other potential exposures include pesticides and mycotoxin-producing mold

• Dogs may experience clinical effects from large ingestions of cocoa bean shell

   mulch but life-threatening signs were not reported

• We recommend avoiding use of cocoa bean shell mulch in landscaping around

   unsupervised dogs