Since summer is upon us, that usually means gardening.  Here is an article warning of the harmful, and possible deadly, affects cocoa bean mulch can have on your dog.

Pet Talk: Beware of the cocoa bean mulch

I received, from three different pals last week, a much-bounced-about e-mail that described this incident: A young Lab mix named Calypso devoured a bunch of cocoa bean mulch, vomited some (typical of her when she pigged out on something she shouldn't consume, the e-mail pointed out) and showed no other symptoms. Next morning, while on a walk with her owner, the dog had a seizure and died.

As with so much on the Internet, the absence of a discernable point of origin makes it impossible to know if this is a true story. And it worries me that, as with so many other things that flood our in-boxes without invitation or trackable source, the information is being widely discounted as completely baseless.

So let's set the record straight.

I can't confirm whether a dog named Calypso died from eating cocoa bean mulch (also sometimes marketed as cocoa shell mulch). I can confirm — because I've spoken to the experts — that the garden mulch can, indeed, be highly toxic to dogs and can, in fact, cause death.

Cocoa mulch is made from the shells that come off in the roasting of cocoa beans. Those shells contain the same compounds — theobromine and caffeine — as those in chocolate, which most people know by now can be toxic for dogs.

Cocoa bean mulch, which many dogs are inclined to chow down on because it smells almost as yummy as brownies, can cause gastrointestinal issues (vomiting and diarrhea), cardiovascular issues such as abnormal heart rate, and central nervous system problems including tremors and seizures, says Camille DiClementi of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center. The risks, of course, depend on the size of the dog, the amount eaten and the level of the theobromine in the mulch (and that varies hugely).

The center has received calls on 162 dogs that ingested cocoa bean mulch in the past 10 years, and one of the dogs died.

That, of course, is not the sum total of all dogs that have eaten such mulch, gotten sick or died. Not everyone calls the poison center when an animal ingests a known toxin. Moreover, until recent years, most owners did not associate the cocoa mulch in their yards with a dog suddenly becoming ill. Several humane groups claim to know of several cases of dogs that have died after eating cocoa bean mulch.

How to react.

Use this general procedure after a dog has consumed cocoa bean mulch: Induce vomiting if the pet has no health conditions that would make that a risky step. The vomiting removes some of the toxic material, and it may provide a sense of how much mulch was consumed so there's a better idea of how high the risk is. The veterinarian may use activated charcoal and flush the animal's system with fluids. The vet will monitor for high heart rate, blood pressure or seizures, and will take counter-measures if those develop.

The level of theobromine in such mulch varies greatly from brand to brand, and there's no way to tell, even if you know the brand, what the level is — it's not printed on the bag or available anywhere. So when talking an owner or vet through the what-to-do process on the phone, the center's poison experts "estimate the highest level" or "worst-case scenario" and make recommendations based on that, DiClementi says.

How to prevent.

What's the responsible dog owner to do about all this? "If you have a dog that eats things he shouldn't," it wouldn't be advisable to use this kind of mulch in an area he can access, DiClementi says. Moreover, "all dogs explore with their mouths" so it's possible that even dogs not completely indiscriminate about the stuff they'll snarf up could surprise you and munch on some.

For my part, I won't have the stuff around. I really don't need any less-than-subtle chocolate scents reminding me how much I'd love to have a hot fudge sundae right this very minute. And although my dog isn't much of a gulper of all things, many of his visiting dog pals are.