Most unusual pet insurance claims of 2023 include folding couch incident

Insurance firm Nationwide announced the finalists for its 2023 Hambone Award, which highlights the most unusual pet insurance claims of the year.

The Hambone Award, named in honor of a dog that ate an entire holiday ham while stuck in a refrigerator, highlights the unique situations that pets find themselves in each year and calls on members of the public to vote for strangest of the bunch.

This year's finalists include Giles, a New York cat who was closed into a folding couch; Josie, a California dog who ran into a set of metal bleachers while chasing a ball; and Sunny, a Labrador who managed to shimmy his crate 5 feet across a room so he could eat three phone charger cords.

All of the 12 finalists made full recoveries from their injuries, the insurance company said.

The winning pet will be awarded the Hambone Award trophy, as well as a gift card and a donation in its name to a pet charity chosen by their owner. The second and third place finalists will receive a prize and a charity donation, the company said.

Voting is open through Sept. 22, and the winners will be announced Sept. 28.