10 Weirdest Pet Insurance Claims

AQUARIUM-DESTROYING DOG

One evening, Robert and Carol Richardson discovered blood on the paw of their Black Labrador. Unsure of how that came to be, they began to investigate around the house. They were surprised to find their 55-gallon tortoise aquarium shattered. Still, they couldn't figure out how their 14-month-old puppy did it. Convinced that their puppy was fine, the couple went to dinner. That's where they realized what had happened — the pup, Bayley, must have rammed into the aquarium. Carol Richardson called her son at home to inspect Bayley's chest. Sure enough, he had a gash that was two inches long. Bayley was rushed to the hospital and his laceration was closed with surgical staples. Bayley has made a full recovery and is doing very well these days. (VPI)

ROCK STEADY PUG 

Lori Laverdiere's pug, Harley, had a bad eating habit — he liked to eat everything, non-food items included. After boarding Harley at her veterinarian's office, she noticed that something was wrong with her puppy. When she took him home, he began to poop out rocks. Laverdiere immediately contacted her vet to ask if they knew what was up. Harley had been allowed to wander an individual run for 10- to 20-minute periods, which is where he must have eaten the rocks. The vet said that it all should pass, but as the afternoon progressed, his condition worsened and he was unable to keep food or water down. Harley was rushed to the emergency animal hospital and was given an X-ray. He had almost 100 rocks stuck in his stomach. The rocks were thankfully small enough to pass without surgery, but Harley was still monitored overnight. After a couple of days, Harley was back to normal. (VPI)

SIZZLING KITTY

It was no surprise to Sherri Johnson and her husband that her cats would chase the flies around  the inside of their vacation home, but they both had no idea one of them would end up on top of the hot wood stove. Sherri Johnson had expressed concerns to her husband about the cats approaching the stove, but he assured her that they would sense the heat and stay away. But when one fly flew over it, Eddy pursued and landed all four of his paws on top of the stove. The next day, Eddy's paws were covered in blisters. He received bandages on all four of his paws and took antibiotics to prevent infection. (VPI)

ALMOND-SNORTING SPANIEL 

Ellen Unsworth has never had to worry about Tomis, her English Cocker Spaniel, until one evening when she and her husband hosted a holiday party. Tomis usually behaved around people, but he must have been particularly hungry that night, because he ingested an entire bowl of raisins and almonds, both of which are toxic to dogs. The Unsworths immediately called their vet and were advised to bring Tomis in for potential raisin toxicity. They would later learn that Tomis had coughed while swallowing one of the nuts, causing it to become firmly lodged in the back of his sinuses. Tomis was treated at the hospital for the next few days and had to remove the mass in the back of his nose with rhinoscopy. They found a whole almond wedged in place. Thankfully, Tomis survived! (VPI)

PIG WITH PILLS 

Teresa Praus-Choe and her husband would joke about their sweet pet pig, Crispy Bacon, being a bit of a rockstar, but did not anticipate what he would get himself into one day. When the Praus-Choes came home for a day at work, Crispy Bacon had knocked over a table and ingested ibuprofen, acetaminophen, omeprazole and beta blockers. Crispy Bacon's parents rushed him to the hospital where he was treated for drug toxicity. He was administered fluids intravenously and was monitored for three days before returning home and making a full recovery. (VPI)

ANTLER EATER 

Many dog owners who have chew-compulsive canines are careful of what kinds of toys and bones they give their pups. Many of these particular pet parents choose elk antler dog chews, a nearly indestructible and all-natural alternative to rawhide or pig ears. But even the toughest of elk antlers didn't stand a chance against Ryder the Labrador puppy. According to Ryder's owner, Kendra Snurkowski, her little pup was obsessed with his antler chew. She had never seen him apart from it, except for one night when it went missing. After searching high and low for the toy, Snurkowski concluded that Ryder had swallowed it whole. The vet comforted her saying that Labs were infamous for swallowing foreign objects and that it would probably pass naturally. After three days of waiting, Snurkowski brought Ryder back to the vet. He had to be treated for colitis with antibiotics and, sure enough, he was all better — with the help of pet insurance, of course! (VPI)

FREE-FALL FELINE

Baxter the cat may have lost one of his nine lives one fateful day in Seattle, but he lived to tell his incredible story. Diana McDougle, her husband and Baxter were displaced to another unit in their building on the 11th floor. Not knowing that the windows had no screens, she opened it to get some fresh air. Baxter was curious about his new sky-high view, but as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and what happened next was a pet parent's worst nightmare. Baxter crawled outside of the window and fell 11 stories to the ground below. When Diana McDougle realized what had happened, she couldn't bear to look out the window to see where her beloved Baxter was. Finally, she did, and saw her seemingly lifeless cat on the ground below. She quickly ran down the stairs to find that her pet was actually still alive. Baxter was rushed to the nearest emergency animal hospital. Although she broke her collarbone and dislocated her sternum, she walked away essentially unscathed. She has made a full recovery since. (VPI)

A REAL-LIFE CORN-DOG

If you are decorating your home with fake fruit or gourds galore this season, you may want to reconsider. Your pet may think it's the real deal, and as a result, attempt to eat them, just like Tacoda the Alaskan Malamute. Tacoda's owner found the hungry dog sick to its stomach after it ingested a decorative corn cob. Tacoda received surgery after being admitted for intestinal issues. While the procedure was costly, Tacoda's owners received a $1,671 reimbursement from their insurance. (Pets Best) 

BURIED ALIVE 

One evening, Peanut the Dachshund-Terrier mix decided to chase after a skunk underneath his owner's deck and accidentally buried himself deep in the dirt. First responders tried everything they could to unearth the dog, but said that it was a lost cause. Christy and Keith Wolfram refused to believe that was true. Christy Wolfram grabbed a shovel and began to dig herself. After several hours, she still couldn't find him, but she did not give up. Finally, first responders saw a paw. They were able to rescue Peanut, who was barely moving, but still alive. Peanut was administered oxygen and was treated for hypothermia for two days. After a week and a half, she made a full recovery. (VPI)

FLAT CAT

Ariel, the 7-lb. Himalayan, may be small, but she sure is fearless. This feline proved her ferocity when she was found alive and kicking ... albeit slightly smashed by her parents' garage door. After gardening one morning, Scott Carter shut the garage door, like he had done so many times before. This time, however, Ariel had escaped from the house and found herself at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Carters' neighbor frantically alerted Scott and his wife, Dana, telling them to open their garage door up because Ariel was trapped underneath. When she was rescued, Ariel wasn't in the best of shape. She was limping around and then collapsed. X-rays and blood tests would show that the tiny cat had suffered liver damage. Her surgery was successful, and although expensive, VPI Pet Insurance reimbursed much of it. The Carters keep an especially close eye on Ariel's whereabouts, these days. (VPI)