Cast Your Vote for the 2012 VPI Hambone Award!

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After reviewing more than one million pet insurance claims over the past year, the time has come for VPI to honor one of its more than 485,000 insured pets with the fourth annual VPI Hambone Award@.  Nominees for 2012’s “Most Unusual Claim of the Year” include a dachshund-terrier mix that was found buried alive by firefighters, a potbellied pig that accidentally overdosed on human medication, and a cat that got stuck in a car engine and went on a wild 15-mile ride. The winner will be determined by the public, who are encouraged to cast their vote at VPIHamboneAward Voting is open from Sept. 12-25 and will decide which perilous pet will take home the esteemed honor.

Named originally after a dog that ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while stuck in a refrigerator, the VPI Hambone Award@ has since been presented for three equally unusual claims. Past winners include Ellie, a Labrador retriever who gobbled up an entire beehive and its thousands of inhabitants; Lulu, a hungry bulldog who swallowed 15 baby pacifiers, a bottle cap and piece of a basketball; and Harley, a pug that ate, and subsequently passed, more than 100 rocks.

Following are brief summaries of the 12 unusual claims nominated for the 2012 Hambone Award. All nominated pets made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible treatment expenses. For a more detailed account of each claim, photos or videos of the nominees, or to place your vote for the 2012 VPI Hambone Award, click on the names listed below.

• July 2011 – Ginger the golden retriever (Rocky Hill, Conn.). Sniffing turned snippy when a feisty snapping turtle chomped down on Ginger’s nose, causing quite a scare and lacerations to her muzzle.
• August 2011 – Havee the Havanese (Pompton Plains, N.J.). A cleaning spree resulted in a trip to the local animal hospital when Havee’s tail was run over by the vacuum after he fell asleep under the dining room table.
• September 2011 – Kei the shiba inu (Wadswoth, Ill.). An escalator excursion landed Kei in the animal hospital when one of his paws got caught on the escalator grates.
• October 2011 – Peanut the dachshund-terrier mix (Sicklerville, N.J.). A squabble with a skunk ended with more than just a bad stench in the air when Peanut was found buried alive by firefighters.

• December 2011 – Crispy Bacon the potbellied pig (Las Vegas, Nev.). Crispy’s owners always joke that their potbellied pig is their little “rock star,” but they never expected he would take it to the extreme until he accidentally overdosed on human medication.
• January 2012 – Tomis the cocker spaniel (Sacramento, Calif.). Tomis required surgery to remove an almond he accidentally snorted while snacking at a holiday party.
• February 2012 – Major the Labrador retriever (Minneapolis, Minn.). A game of fetch ended with a trip to the veterinarian when Major ran full-speed into a rock the same size and shape as his toy.
• March 2012 – Nathan the miniature dachshund (Pittsburgh, Penn.). An altercation with a vicious muskrat caused a severe bite wound dangerously close to Nathan’s jugular.
• April 2012 – Bayley the Labrador retriever (Lothian, Md.). While playing inside with his furry friends, Bayley shattered a 55-gallon aquarium that left a two-inch gash on his chest.
• May 2012 – Beretta the Labrador retriever (Bryan, Texas). Beretta had to be rushed to the emergency animal hospital after her owner found her hanging from a barbecue grill by her collar.
• June 2012 – Pebbles the domestic shorthair cat (Rio Linda, Calif.). After getting stuck in a car engine, Pebbles went on a 15-mile road trip before being taken to a veterinary hospital to treat lacerations and a broken jaw.

Voting for the 2012 VPI Hambone Award@ will be open to the public Sept. 12-25, 2012 and the winner will be announced on Sept. 26, 2012. For regular updates on the 2012 contest, you can follow VPI on Twitter, like us on Facebook or sign up to receive emails on all things Hambone.