Earlier this year, I told you about a Roscoe, a dog who ate an entire wire-frame diorama leaving his poor little human without a homework assignment to turn in. Turns out her Roscoe and my Bosco aren't alone in the ranks of dogs devouring weird Things — and racking up hefty vet bills in the process.

Five years ago, Nationwide Insurance created the "Hambone Award", which is given to the animal who presents the most unusual pet insurance claim. (They only give the awards to pets who fully recover.) Think of it as the Darwin Awards for animals.

Meet Curtis (left), the newest winner of this dubious prize. The 5-year-old Boxer ate an entire BBQ skewer. Yes, including the skewer. His people rushed the poor Curtis to the the hospital, but no skewer was found. A year later, Curtis wasn't feeling so hot again, so back to the vet he went. Surgeons finally found the skewer, which had been encapsulated by the poor pet's body in a "baseball sized mass". They removed it and Curtis is back to his old self.

The Hambone Award is named for its first recipient: a dog who got stuck in a refrigerator and ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while waiting to be rescued.


Watch what they eat. See you next week,
Bobby