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Special thanks to ASPIC website for the following

PET POISON ALERT: COCOA BEAN MULCH CAN BE TOXIC TO DOGS
If your dog likes to spend his summer grazing in your garden, his treat-seeking nose may lead him to one danger in particular: the sweet-smelling, but potentially harmful cocoa bean mulch. Made of cocoa bean shells and considered desirable for its eventual degradation into organic fertilizer, this gardener’s choice can be toxic to canines if eaten in large quantities—and some dogs have been known to eat amazing amounts!

In 2007, the ASPIC Animal Poison Control Center (PAC) 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, ASPIC Veterinary Toxicologist and PAC Director, “but like chocolate, cocoa bean mulch can be too much for our canine companions.”

Ingestion of large amounts of cocoa bean mulch, which contains residual amounts of theobromine—a methylxanthine found in chocolate and known to be toxic to dogs—may cause a variety of clinical signs. These typically start with vomiting, diarrhea and elevated heart rate, and if large amounts are consumed, they may progress to hyperactivity, muscle tremors and possibly other more serious neurological signs.

Treatment includes administering medical-grade activated charcoal, bringing tremors under control, cardiac monitoring and preventing further exposure.

“One key point to remember is that some dogs, particularly those with indiscriminate eating habits, can be attracted to any organic matter,” says Dana Farbman, APCC Senior Manager, Professional Communications. “Therefore, if you have a dog with such eating habits, it’s important that you don’t leave him unsupervised or allow him into areas where such materials are being used.”

To avoid contact, pet parents should consider a nontoxic alternative, such as shredded pine, cedar or hemlock bark. These will keep your pooch—and your garden—healthy.

For more detailed information, please take a look at our Animal Poison Control Center online.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol used in candy and chewing gum.  it is also found in some pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as chewable vitamins and throat lozenges. it can also be used in home baking.

While Xylitol is safe for humans, it can be harmful to dogs. The compound doesn't affect glucose levels in people but when ingested by dogs it can cause a dangerous surge of insulin. (in as little as 15 minutes, the blood sugar of a dog that has eaten gum containing Xylitol my register a marked drop in blood sugar.) At higher does, Xylitol is believed toxin to the canine liver.

Just three grams of Xylitol can kill a 65 pound dog. Because the amount of sweetener used in sugar-free chewing gum varies by manufacturer and products, the number of sticks of gum that would prove fatal to a pooch of that size can't be stated with precision.  As a general rule of thumb,, between eight and ten pieces of gum might be deadly to a 65 pound canine but a smaller dog could easily die after ingesting far less (perhaps as few as two sticks of gum).

Xylitol also appears to cause severe liver damage in dogs within 24 hours.  According to a study published in the October 2006 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, of eight dogs who ingested Xylitol five died of liver failure, and an additional three canine deaths that occurred after the study was completed were also determined to stem from that cause. While more research needs to be done to categorically prove that Xylitol actually causes canine liver failure, at this time indications point that way.

If you think your dog has consumed sugarless gum or any other product containing Xylitol, call your veterinarian immediately. Most likely you will be instructed to bring your pet in to have vomiting induced and IV fluids started, but if you live more than an hour away from the vet, you may have to induce vomiting at home.

~Above information copied from snopes