During the previous year, the Veterinary Pet Insurance Company (VPI) received quite a few bizarre pet health insurance claims, ranging from ingested pacifiers and falling cows. Each month, the weirdest claim was chosen, and now VPI is asking the public to vote on which claim is the most bizarre, by logging on to www.VPIHamboneAward.com. Voting is currently open and will end on 14 September 2009.

The pet whose health insurance claim is voted as being the oddest will win VPI’s first Hambone Award which was named in honor of a dog who became trapped inside a fridge and greedily ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while he was waiting to be saved. Thankfully, he was insured through VPI!

Below is a short review of each of the 12 strangest pet health insurance claims that were chosen for the Hambone award. It is good to note that every pet nominated made a full recovery and also received insurance reimbursements for eligible treatment expenses.

* July 2008

In Ocean Springs, Mississippi, a Jack Russell Terrier named Sugar, decided to indulge her hunger by eating a wild turtle, including the shell. During which a tiny piece of the turtle’s shell got stuck in Sugar’s nasal cavity and required surgical removal.

* August 2008

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, resident Crawford the Brittany spaniel became very interested in his owner’s bra which had gel inserts. So interested in fact, that he consumed it! Luckily, the gel inserts were only mildly toxic and the bra eventually passed.

* September 2008

Rider, a Belgian sheepdog from Ridgefield, Washington, took off after a wild squirrel one morning. However, the squirrel certainly knew his way around and quickly run up a nearby tree. Unfortunately, Rider, who was racing along, did not see that coming and instead collided head first with a decorative wheelbarrow under the tree.

* October 2008

Everyone always wonders what happens to the missing socks after the laundry has been done. Well in Becca’s household in Greenwood Village, Colorado, her family knows where to look – in the Labrador retriever’s stomach. Becca has ingested the same sock twice!

* November 2008

A French Bulldog in Ontario, California, named Jean Pierre, baffled his veterinarian with a lump on his side. Fearing that it was cancerous growth, exploratory surgery was conducted. A migrating corndog stick was proven to be the culprit behind the lump.

* December 2008

An English Bulldog in Warson Woods, Misouri, named Lulu had a desire to always remain the baby in her family by eating a pacifier. Lulu’s owners immediately took her in for an X-ray and subsequent surgery. Not only did the veterinarian remove the original pacifier, but he also removed 14 other pacifiers that Lulu had apparently eaten over a 6 month period.

* January 2009

A caring beach goer, Marley the Labrador retriever’s owner in Holiday, Florida, tried to remove sea urchins from the beach by throwing them back into the ocean. Marley mistook this as a game and chased after and caught one of the poisonous sea creatures. Over the next few hours Marley promised never to chase sea urchins again.

* February 2009

During a relaxing hike with his owners, Rincon the German shorthaired pointer from Tucson, Arizona, crossed paths with an aggressive family of javelinas. Poor Rincon incurred several bites from the small pig-like animals, requiring a visit to the pet emergency room for stitches.

* March 2009

In Montpelier, Vermont, Quincy the Labrador retriever, successfully managed to inhale a three pronged fishhook after peering into a bucket of minnows which were to be used as bait for an upcoming ice fishing trip.

* April 2009

Border collie’s are well known for their cattle herding skills. Ranger, who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, however, is still learning the ropes. During one practice session, Ranger crashed into the back legs of a poor unsuspecting cow, causing her to fall over. Luckily for her, Ranger was right there to help break her fall, and, luckily for Ranger, he didn’t break anything else.

* May 2009

Toby the spaniel mix from Omaha, Nebraska, could not resist a round bone that was leftover from a roast. However, whilst chewing on his new ‘toy’, it managed to slither over his lower jaw. This resulted in surgery where the use of a hacksaw was implemented to remove the bone.

* June 2009

The only cat on the list is Scooter, a Siamese living in San Clemente, California. After incurring unexplainable seizures, Scooters was being prepped for an MRI. The vet tech found a sewing needle, with the thread still attached, embedded into the back of Scooter’s tongue, which had penetrated an area of her brain. The needle was quickly removed and Scooter was free to leave.

Photo Credit: pamzpix