Fetch-obsessed Lab discovers a rake in the grass

Meet Henry, a Labrador retriever in Colorado who is a true baller.

Henry is, above all else, a fetch dog. “Henry’s motto is life is ball, ball is life,” says dog mom and Nationwide pet insurance member Leah B.

From a young age, this Lab pup was absolutely obsessed with fetching and always on the lookout for someone to toss the ball. “He loves making friends with humans because humans are the ones who throw his ball and that is the most important thing in life,” says Leah.

Henry’s fetch-focused life is fun and exhilarating, but it also means things around the house are not always safe. According to Leah, there have been numerous casualties: "We’ve had a couple of broken glass windows, because he’s jumped for the ball and hit a window. We’ve broken some chandeliers in the house because we threw a ball wrong. We’ve put some holes in some walls because he’ll just run into them.”

She adds, “Henry is a bull in a china shop, and we have to be very careful about where we throw his ball or where he’s running after the ball. He is full gas and there is no stopping him.”

With Henry always running full throttle and paying little attention to anything except the ball, it was only a matter of time before his favorite game took an unexpected turn—one that led to this surprising Hambone-nominated incident.

What happened?

Henry and Leah were visiting her parents. Their yard was being cleared of pine needles and branches for fire prevention maintenance, but Henry, as usual, was only focused on getting them to toss the ball.

When one toss went a bit wide, Henry’s pursuit took him through an area where cleaning was in progress. “He placed his paw on the metal prong of the rake and right through his paw it went,” Leah says. “Don’t worry, he shook off the ‘ouchy,’ still got his ball and was ready to play.” However, he was unable to shake off the rake, which was stuck in his hind paw.

Unsure of what to do in this scary situation, Leah contacted Nationwide VetHelpline®, a no-cost veterinary telehealth service provided to all Nationwide members. “They advised us to pull the rake out of his foot and it was going to be okay,” Leah says. “Calling them and having someone that quickly answered, I knew what to do right away. Having that reassurance from them was really helpful.”

Of course, Henry didn’t take his eye off the ball at all. “When we got the rake out of his paw, he was still ready to try and go get his ball. The pain didn't faze him at all," Leah recalls.

Henry was taken to the veterinarian for treatment. About a month later, Henry’s paw healed all the way through and he was ready to play ball once again.

Leah laughs, “He is back to his normal chaos.”

How Nationwide helped

“He is just so active. One way or another, he’s going to find a way to get injured,” Leah says. “Remembering I had pet insurance through Nationwide, and I had the VetHelpline I could call, there was a lot of relief. I’m never worried about these little accidents that come up, and I can make sure he gets the care he needs.”

Henry had already been quite active on his insurance policy before his rake incident, from showing off his skill for opening garbage cans and eating corn cobs to getting sprayed by skunks multiple times. No matter what Henry gets into, Nationwide is there to help Leah manage the surprises and unexpected expenses that come with life with a highly active pet.

“It’s the best way to protect him and make sure he can always be taken care of.”