Brea, Calif. (Dec. 13, 2011) – When Diana McDougle of Seattle finally gathered the courage to peer out of the 11th story window to the ground below, her cat Baxter wasn’t moving. Only moments before, the 9-year-old domestic longhair had nudged the glass open far enough to slip out onto the ledge. After falling more than 100 feet and living to purr about it, Baxter has earned the title of "Most Unusual Claim of the Month” by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI).
“There was a fire in our building, so my husband and I had temporarily relocated to a different unit. Baxter had only been in our new space for a day and we hadn’t thought to check the windows for screens,” recalled Diana. “We didn’t realize how easily the windows slid open until it was too late. I saw Baxter on the other side of the window and there wasn’t enough room on the ledge for him to turn around and come back in.”
Inevitably, Baxter fell 11 stories to the ground below. After a hysterical phone call to her husband, Diana collected herself enough to venture downstairs to find her pet. Astonished that he was still alive, the panicked pet parent quickly transported Baxter to the nearest emergency animal hospital. Though the feline had suffered a broken collarbone and a dislocated sternum, the emergency veterinarian was mostly concerned about the fluid surrounding his heart and lungs. Baxter was hospitalized for four days while doctors closely monitored his condition. He has since returned to his home with the McDougles and made a complete recovery.
“Pet owners often believe that their indoor-only companions are less prone to accidents and injuries, but there is no such thing as an ‘accident-proof’ home,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “While it’s important to evaluate our pet’s environment for possible dangers, it’s equally essential to prepare for those unexpected mishaps that occur when we’re not looking.”
Baxter’s incident was one of more than 80,000 claims received in the month of November by VPI, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, and was selected by VPI employees as the most unusual of the bunch. Honorable mentions in November included a vizsla that wrestled with a muskrat; a rat terrier run over by a tricycle; and a Labrador retriever that got its neck caught in a car window. All pets considered for the award made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible expenses.
As the most unusual claim submitted in November, Baxter will be in the running for the 2012 VPI Hambone Award. Other nominees include Kei the Shiba Inu who got his nails caught on the grate of an escalator and Peanut the dachshund-terrier mix who became buried alive after a squabble with a skunk. For more information about the VPI Hambone Award, or to read about all of the 2012 nominees, visit www.VPIHamboneAward.com.
Note to editors: Digital images of Baxter are available upon request. Send requests to ncross@petinsurance.com
About VPI Hambone Award
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 rescue him. The dog was eventually found, with a licked-clean ham bone and a mild case of hypothermia. This quirky title was first awarded in 2009 to Lulu, a hungry English bulldog who swallowed 15 baby pacifiers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball. The VPI Hambone Award and these unusual pet insurance claims have since helped educate the public about the unexpected mishaps that can affect household pets. Stories and pictures of the VPI Hambone Award nominees are available at 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 CareGuard® coverage is available for routine care.
Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 2,500 companies nationwide offer VPI Pet Insurance as a voluntary 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, Wis. 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.