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THE PET CONNECTION By Gina Spadafori Pet Columnist

Onions Can be Deadly to Dogs

A friend of mine likes to say that when you think about all the ways kids can get into trouble, it's amazing that so many make it to adulthood in one piece.

It's true: When I think of all the hare-brained things I did as a child, it strikes me as incredibly good fortune that I made it out of my youth safely.

When it comes to my pets, it seems my luck is still holding. In a month when one pet disappeared temporarily and another one almost died of poisoning -- both near-disasters that could have been prevented -- I'm feeling especially blessed to have gotten through both experiences poorer (when it comes to my veterinary bills) but also wiser.

The missing pet I've already mentioned in a previous column. My toy spaniel was either taken or let out by some kids who kicked in the fence boards at my brother's house, where the pets and I had been staying between selling one house and buying another. The ID tag on his collar was his quick ticket home, which validates my regular writing about the importance of these inexpensive items for protecting pets.

Chase wasn't home long when my oldest dog, Benjamin, became gravely ill. The reason is something most pet lovers probably don't know about, and even those who do don't take all that seriously as a risk. I know I didn't.

Ben was almost done in by eating onions.

It's true I never worried much about onions before. Or chocolate, either, even though both can be lethal to pets. The fact is I didn't think much about these foods because it takes rather a lot of either to put a large dog such as Benjamin in danger.

The last time I gave even a fleeting thought to onions was when a veterinarian friend of mine suggested I warn people to read the labels on meat-based baby food, which is often used to encourage sick or older pets to eat. Some brands put onion powder in their products to make them more palatable to babies, which makes those products a poor choice to give to pets. I duly warned readers and filed "onions" in the dark far corners of my brain.

Benjamin is a counter-cruiser, and has been since he arrived at my home as a young dog nearly eight years ago. His is a bad habit that's notoriously hard to break, since every time a dog succeeds in getting something yummy off the counter the behavior is rewarded. For years I've coped by adjusting my own behavior, keeping the counters clear of anything edible when I'm not home.

But in the hustle and rush of being out of one home and not quite into another, I let my guard down, just enough.

On my brother's kitchen counter was a massive container of dried minced onions -- the size you buy at those warehouse stores. It never occurred to me Benjamin would find dried onions worth the effort to pull off the counter, much less eat. But I was wrong.

In a few days, the dog was near death with a case of what's called Heinz-body anemia, a condition in which compounds in the onion lead to the premature destruction of red blood cells.

As with Chase's unplanned outing, we got lucky. After a few scary days, Benjamin started to improve and is now back to normal -- or what passes for normal in a dog as goofy as he is.

After two near-misses with losing a pet, I'm so happy to be settling into my new home at last, where I'm keeping the counters clear and will never take onions or chocolate -- or the benefits of plain old good luck -- for granted again.