Brea, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2008)—Anyone who has owned a Labrador retriever knows that the breed’s defining characteristic can be a blessing and a curse – not all situations call for fetch, and not all items should be retrieved.
Marley
Marley and his “catch” – 8 months old
“We were on the beach and I noticed that the shrimpers had dumped their nets near the shore, leaving a large amount of sea grass and live sea urchins on the sand,” said Judi Dunn of Holiday, Fla. “The sea urchin spines looked sharp and I didn’t want Marley to step on one so I started throwing them back into the water. Unfortunately, she thought we were playing a game of fetch and went after the sea urchins. It didn’t take long before her paws and gums were swollen and she had lesions between her toes. I immediately took her to the veterinarian, who gave her a shot of antihistamines. She recovered quickly, but she had difficulty walking for about five days.”
Dunn’s claim for Marley’s sea urchin encounter was one of more than 75,000 claims received in the month of January by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. Marley’s uncommon accident was considered along with other out of the ordinary claims submitted in January and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.
“I didn’t realize that sea urchins were poisonous,” said Dunn. “I had the camera around my neck when Marley came running back and I took a picture of her with the sea urchin in her mouth. Marley’s breeder had given me a packet of information on preventing pet accidents. It included everything from stingray safety to proper health care, but nothing on sea urchins. I told her about Marley’s accident and now each ‘puppy packet’ also includes information on sea urchins.”
As the most unusual claim submitted in January, Dunn’s claim will be placed in the running for VPI’s first Hambone Award. Each month, VPI employees will nominate a claim and in July 2009 will 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 January included a dog attacked by ants, a dog hit by a snow plow, a dog that had an altercation with a ground hog, a dog that ingested a wild bird, a dog that ate a Christmas stocking and a dog that swallowed a metal pie plate. 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 ProtectionSM 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: Large digital image of Marley with sea urchin in mouth available upon request. Send requests to Grant Biniasz at gbiniasz@petinsurance.com.