Brea, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2011) – A little over-eating always happens during the holidays: a second helping of turkey here, a larger than normal slice of pie there. Five pounds of cookies in a single sitting, however, is too much for anyone – man or dog.

But that’s just what a 2-year-old Labrador retriever named Gus did when he managed to down one-eighth of his weight in cookies recently while his owners were away. “My wife and I had some guests staying with us from out of town over Christmas,” explained Gus’ owner, Ken Boll of Cottage Grove, Wis. “We had trays of cookies and fudge on the counter for them to enjoy, and we just kept replenishing everything throughout the weekend, so the trays were always full.” Ken wasn’t concerned about Gus getting into the cookies as the Lab hadn’t shown much interest in the treats, and the various trays and tins were covered with lids or plastic wrap.

“We came back from an afternoon Packers game, and everything was gone,” Ken said. “And there’s Gus standing in the kitchen, wagging his tail, happy as can be.” Gus had not only managed to reach and eat every cookie on the counter, but he had also consumed a plate of fudge, the plastic wrap that had been covering the fudge, and had even started chewing on a metal cookie tin. “He left the chocolate covered blueberries,” Ken said. “He must not have liked those.”

Uncertain of how much chocolate had been in the cookies and fudge Gus had eaten, Ken took no chances and paid a late-night visit to an emergency veterinarian. The veterinarian weighed Gus before and after inducing vomiting to determine the amount of holiday snacks that had been gobbled up. “It was five pounds,” Ken said. “The veterinarian got tubs of the stuff out of him.” Ken said he’s thankful that Gus never appeared to be in any discomfort before or after seeing the veterinarian and that his furry friend bounced back right away from the experience. “You can’t plan for everything,” Ken said. “The next time you leave the house, make sure that everything is out of reach.”

Ken’s claim for Gus’ cookie ingestion incident was one of more than 80,000 claims received in the month of December 2010 by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. Ken’s claim was considered along with other uncommon medical claims submitted in December and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.

As the most unusual claim submitted in December, Ken’s claim will be placed in the running for the 2011 VPI Hambone AwardSM. Each month, VPI employees nominate the most interesting claim submitted, and in September 2011, 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 ham bone and a mild case of hypothermia.

Honorable mentions in December included a beagle that ate a strand of Christmas tree garland, a Jack Russell terrier that was hit in the eye with the business end of a rat trap, a Golden retriever that swallowed a watch, a Rhodesian ridgeback with a hunkering for raw hamburger meat, and a Shih Tzu that was scratched with a pair of grooming scissors. 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 www.VPIHamboneAward.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.