The Hambone Awards for the Most Unusual Pet Insurance Claim
Did your dog get sick because he ate your homework? Did your cat get stuck up a tree? Oh, these may be true stories and make you eligible for insurance claims – but they are so passé, people!
What about the dog that was stuck in a refrigerator and passed the time by eating the ham intended for Thanksgiving dinner until someone got him out? That dog was Hambone and he is the pet honored by the annual Hambone Award.
Every month, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) selects nominees for “most unusual claim” and then the public votes at the end of the year for who deserves the Hambone.
Of all the bizarre incidents, how do they decide? Here’s a sampling of nominees over the years:
- Natasha the Siberian Forest cat: Got stuck in the washing machine and lived through a 35-minute wash cycle without any major injuries
- Harley the Pug: Ate over 100 rocks
- Pebbles the mixed-breed cat: Survived a 15-minute car ride INSIDE THE ENGINE and was found thanks to a microchip implanted years before
- Nathan the miniature Dachshund: Brawled with a muskrat and lived to tell
- Havee the Havanese dog: Had a close call with a vacuum cleaner
- Kei the Shiba Inu dog: Got his paw caught on the escalator (yeow!)
- Darci the West Highland Terrier: Bit a chainsaw (while it was in use)
- Crawford the Brittany Spaniel: Ate part of his owner’s bra which happened to have gel inserts that are toxic if ingested
Sources:
VPI Hambone Award: http://vpihamboneaward.com/
VPI Pet Insurance: http://www.petinsurance.com/
Mother Nature Network: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/12-pets-that-survived-crazy-accidents/another-reason-for-insurance
