A Springfield, Virginia, veterinary hospital received a $10,000 prize after treating a dog whose window-busting adventure made her the winner of pet insurer Nationwide’s 2020 Hambone Award.
The Regional Veterinary Referral Center cared for Chopper, a boxer who upon seeing a visitor suffered cuts to her paws and tendons when she broke through a glass pane in excitement.
A public vote selected the pet insurance claim filed by Chopper’s owners as the most unusual, besting four other finalists.
“Stories like Chopper’s remind us that accidents we might never imagine can happen to our pets at any time,” said Jules Benson, BVSc, MRCVS, Nationwide’s chief veterinary officer. “Chopper’s unbridled enthusiasm may have landed her in the operating room, but the great work done by the treating veterinary team got her back on her four feet quickly.”
The Regional Veterinary Referral Center will spend the $10,000 — funded by Nationwide through the Veterinary Care Foundation — to assist pets whose owners cannot afford treatment.
Four other veterinary practices were finalists in the 12th annual Hambone contest.
- Blue Sky Veterinary Services in San Diego: $7,000 for treating a Cavalier King Charles spaniel that fell out of a tree while pursuing a squirrel.
- VCA Care Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital in Santa Barbara, California: $5,000 for treating a Shih Tzu that tangled with a coyote.
- Cote Animal Hospital in San Diego: $4,000 for treating a cat that fell from a balcony.
- Beverly Hills Small Animal Hospital in Beverly Hills, California: $4,000 for treating an Australian cattle dog that “sustained a scary mouth-to-mouth collision with another dog during rambunctious play time at the park,” according to Nationwide.
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