Chocolate and cocoa contain both of the methylxanthines, theobromine and caffeine, which can be toxic to animals if fed to excess. The most dangerous is baking chocolate which contains seven to ten times the amount of theobromine that ordinary milk chocolate does. One ounce of baking chocolate can be life-threatening to a 10 lb dog. The ingestion of approximately 24 oz of milk chocolate would result in a potentially lethal dose for a 27 lb
Cocoa bean hull mulch is widely used for agriculture and gardening as a mulch. The cocoa bean itself is a rich source of the alkaloid methylxanthines, theobromine and caffeine. If animals ingest whole beans, or cocoa powder, signs of "chocolate toxicity" could develop.If animals contact cocoa bean hulls in garden mulch, or if used as bedding, the hull surface may contain residues of pesticides such as organochlorines (OCl) and organophosphates(OP), and other pesticides perhaps not