Brea, Calif. (June 15, 2011) – Despite living near the beach in Ventura, Calif., pet owner Robin Baer never worried about a seagull attacking her 10-pound dachshund.
“Harley loves to eat his treats on the patio in the sun, but we’ve never had a problem with seagulls before,” said Robin. “For some reason, this one was bold enough, and the two got into a fight over Harley’s food.” Both Robin and her Rottweiler, Brandy, ran outside when they heard yelps and growls coming from the patio. It appeared that neither Harley nor the seagull would be willing to surrender, until Brandy stepped in and scared the bird away.
“I could tell Harley was injured. He had blood on his nose and some hair missing from around his neck, but he seemed completely unfazed,” said Robin. “He wasn’t shaken up or anything. The seagull was probably bigger than he was!”
Uncertain about how deep or severe the wounds were, Robin rushed Harley to her veterinarian’s office for an emergency visit. When she called to inform them that she was on her way, the staff was in such disbelief, they had to ask twice about what happened. “Even though our vet is located near the beach, no one had heard of a seagull attacking a dog before. He was the talk of the office,” Robin said.
Fortunately for Harley, Brandy intervened just in time. The dachshund had a cut below his eye and a bigger wound on his neck, where Robin believes the seagull tried to pick him up. After some clean up and a couple of stitches from the veterinarian, Harley was able to go home. “He was a little groggy for a few days, but he was back to the patio in no time,” said Robin. “He’s such a trooper and doesn’t seem to be any more afraid of seagulls now than he was before the whole incident. Regardless, there won’t be any more food on the patio.”
Robin’s claim for Harley’s seagull attack was one of more than 80,000 claims received in the month of May by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. Robin’s claim was considered along with other uncommon medical claims submitted in May and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.
As the most unusual claim submitted in May, Robin’s claim will be placed in the running for the 2011 VPI Hambone Award. Each month, VPI employees nominate the most interesting claim submitted and in September 2011 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 May included a West Highland white terrier that ate a large amount of sand at the beach, a beagle mix that was stung by a stingray, a Labrador that got a blade of grass stuck in his tonsil, an Airedale terrier that ran full-speed into a wheelbarrow, and a pug that ate a dirty diaper. 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.
Note to editors: Digital images of Harley are available upon request. Send requests to gbiniasz@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 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.