Nationwide shares its most unusual pet insurance claims of 2024

Insurance company Nationwide announced the finalists for this year’s Hambone Award, which celebrates the most unusual pet insurance claims of the year.

The Hambone Award, named in honor of a dog who ate an entire holiday ham while stuck in a refrigerator, aims “to shed light on the everyday and sometimes bizarre incidents that can befall our beloved pets.”

This year’s finalists include Archie, a New Jersey dog who injured his paws when he broke through a vintage plate glass door while trying to alert his family of the mail carrier’s arrival, and Bear, a Pennsylvania corgi who bit into a bottle of nail adhesive and effectively glued his mouth shut.

A New Jersey parrot named Clover also made the list after a growth spurt caused toenails on her feet to hook together.

A Florida dog named Irma suffered from gastrointestinal issues that turned out to have been the result of eating metal wire pieces believed to be from a barbecue brush, and a Virginia dog named Gordon swallowed two large rocks from her owner’s garden.

Rounding out the finalists is Lambeau, a North Carolina dog who ate more than 250 jigsaw puzzle pieces.

All of the pets nominated for the award have made full recoveries. Members of the public can vote for the favorite of the finalists through Thursday, with the winner set to be announced Aug. 27.

“Every year, the Hambone Award celebrates the recoveries of our pet nominees, made possible by the dedication of their pet parents and the expertise of their veterinary healthcare teams,” Jules Benson, vice president of pet health and chief veterinary officer for Nationwide, said in a news release. “We applaud both and continue to focus on supporting them as they provide pets with the care they need.”