Brea, Calif. (July 13, 2010) – Pets have one of two reactions to a noisy appliance: There are those that ignore it and those that react as though it’s a mortal enemy. Barbara Abell’s 2-year-old West Highland white terrier Darci falls into the latter camp. “Darci has always snapped at the vacuum, mower, and lawn edger,” the Belleville, Ill., resident explained. “She never actually touched them, but she would lunge at them.”

A few weeks back, Barbara’s husband was using a chainsaw to cut up a branch that had fallen off a tree in the family’s backyard. Shortly after letting Darci into the yard for a bathroom break, Barbara heard her granddaughter calling her name. “The next thing I know,” Barbara said, “my granddaughter is standing in the bedroom with Darci in her arms. She says, ‘Darci bit the chainsaw.’” Darci had indeed taken a bite at the running chainsaw as Barbara’s husband was slicing a log.

Barbara quickly wet a washcloth with cold water and pressed it to Darci’s bleeding muzzle. Upon closer examination, Barbara found that the saw had torn two holes in Darci’s right upper lip near her nose. With her regular veterinarian’s office closed for the weekend, Barbara rushed Darci to an emergency clinic 20 minutes away. The veterinarian on duty quickly evaluated the terrier’s condition and explained that Darci would need surgery to close her wounds.

Five hours and four stitches later, Darci was on her way home. “She was drowsy and just wanted to sleep,” Barbara said, “but by the next day, she was back to her feisty self.” Barbara’s advice for fellow pet owners is not to assume their pets will keep their distance from dangerous equipment. “I would tell others to make sure that your pets are not close to you if you are using any type of tool,” Barbara concluded. “If your puppy is as inquisitive as mine, it just might cost it its nose!”

Barbara’s claim for Darci’s chainsaw incident was one of more than 8,000 claims received in the month of June by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. Barbara’s claim was considered along with other uncommon medical claims submitted in June and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.

As the most unusual claim submitted in June, Barbara’s claim will be placed in the running for the 2010 VPI Hambone AwardSM. Each month, VPI employees nominate the most interesting claim submitted, and in August 2010 the company will ask the public to vote for the most unusual claim of the year.

The VPI 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 hambone and a mild case of hypothermia.

Honorable mentions in June included a mixed-breed dog that tangled with a pit viper, a Jack Russell terrier with a fishhook through its lower eyelid, a mixed-breed dog that fell out of a moving car, a poodle that gobbled up too much sand while playing fetch at the beach, and a mixed-breed dog that received CPR after falling into the family swimming pool. All pets considered for the award made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible expenses.

Stories and pictures of the Hambone Award nominees are at http://www.VPIHamboneAward.com.

Note to editors: Digital images of Darci are available upon request. Send requests to dshannon@petinsurance.com.

About Veterinary Pet Insurance

With more than 485,000 pets insured nationwide, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co./DVM Insurance Agency is the No. 1 veterinarian-recommended pet health insurance company and is a member of the Nationwide Insurance family of companies. 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 CareGuard® for routine care is also available.

Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 2,000 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. Pet owners can find VPI Pet Insurance on Facebook or follow @VPI on Twitter. For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, call 800-USA-PETS (800-872-7387) or visit petinsurance.com.