Corndog Stick Sticks it to French Bulldog

Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Selects Most Unusual November Claim

Brea, Calif. (Dec. 8, 2008)—Many people have wondered what’s inside a corndog. Jean Pierre’s curiosity on the topic led his owner Denise Uphus to a more serious question: what’s inside my bulldog?

“He first developed a lump on his side and our veterinarian thought it may have been a bee sting or spider bite,” said Denise Uphus of Ontario, Calif. “A couple of days later it had nearly tripled in size, so our veterinarian drained it and put him on antibiotics. Things didn’t get better, so we had X-rays taken, but nothing showed up. Eventually, our veterinarian performed surgery and found, to all of our surprise, a corndog stick. We could only guess that the swallowed stick must have worked its way through Jean Pierre’s stomach lining and was pressing on his body cavity trying to find a way out. Thanks to the amazing work of our veterinarian, Jean Pierre was back to normal in no time.”

Uphus’ claim for Jean Pierre’s swallowed stick was one of more than 80,000 claims received in the month of November by Veterinary Pet Insurance, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. Jean Pierre’s accident was considered along with other uncommon claims submitted in November and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.

“At first we didn’t know it was a corndog stick, and I was baffled,” said Denise. “A couple of days later, I gave my one and a half-year-old daughter a corndog and it all clicked. She likes to feed the dog and she must have given him some of her corndog, including the wooden stick, which he swallowed whole. You really can’t turn your back on them – kids or pets.”

As the most unusual claim submitted in November, Uphus’ claim will be placed in the running for VPI’s first Hambone Award. Each month, VPI employees will nominate the most interesting claim and in July 2009 ask the public to vote for the most unusual claim of the year. The Hambone Award is named in honor of a VPI-insured dog that got stuck in a refrigerator and ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while waiting for someone to find him. The dog was eventually found, with a licked-clean ham bone and a mild case of hypothermia.

Honorable mentions in November included a dog that ran into a cactus, a dog that ate a tray of toxic brownies, and a dog that laid down on a fish hook. All pets considered for the award made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible expenses.

About Veterinary Pet Insurance

Veterinary Pet Insurance Co./DVM Insurance Agency is the nation’s oldest and largest pet health insurance company. Providing pet owners with peace of mind since 1982, the company is committed to being the trusted choice of America’s pet lovers and an advocate of pet health education. VPI Pet Insurance plans cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries. Optional Pet WellCare Protection^SM for routine care is also available.

Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 1,600 companies nationwide offer VPI Pet Insurance as an employee benefit. Policies are underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company in California and in all other states by National Casualty Company, an A+15 rated company in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, call 800-USA-PETS (800-872-7387) or visit petinsurance.com.

Note to editors: Digital images of Jean Pierre the corndog stick-swallowing French bulldog available upon request. Send requests to Jeffrey Davidson at jdavidson@riester.com.