Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) gets a lot of interesting claimsthroughout the year—so interesting in fact that they have an annualaward for the most unusual claim.

Each month VPI employees select the most interesting claim fromthat month as a nominee. Readers of the company's blog then readeach pet's story and vote for the winner of the VPI HamboneAward.

Click “next” to see which pet is the winner of the 2012 HamboneAward, as well as the second- and third-place winners and the restof the top 12 unusual pet-related claims of 2012.

1. Buried Alive

As a dachshund-terrier mix, Peanut is preprogramed to hunt. Soit wasn't uncommon for Christy and Keith Wolfrom's best friend toget in squabbles with some of the wildlife outside the family'sSicklerville, N.J. home. But one disagreement with a skunk went toofar when Peanut buried herself alive in the dirt beneath theirdeck.

After hours of searching, a firefighter spotted the pup's paw.Cold, barely breathing and stinking of skunk, Peanut was brought toa vet and made a full recovery.

2. Road Trip

Pebbles loved exploring the outside world. One weekend when hisowner Leann Munro of Rio Linda, Calif. was out of town, Pebblessnuck out of the house and got himself caught in the engine of acar. The driver traveled for 15 miles with the cat stuck in thealternator belt. A good Samaritan found the injured Pebbles in hisshed and dropped him off at a veterinary emergency hospital, wherethey were able to locate Leann via the microchip implanted in thefeline.

Pebbles suffered a broken jaw and several deep lacerations, andrequired surgery. “The cost of the treatment without pet insurancewould have seriously threatened by budgetary constraints,” saysLeann.

3. Something Fishy

At 14-months-old, Bayley was a rambunctious Labrador retriever.When analyzing how the puppy could have shattered their 55-gallontortoise aquarium, his owners Carol and Robert Richardson ofLothian, Md. Realized that he must have hit it with his chest. Sureenough, Bayley had a two-inch-long gash on his chest that requiredsurgical staples.

Big Bite

One night Michele Bashore of Pittsburg, Pa. let the family'sfour miniature dachshunds out into the yard where they immediatelyran to attack a muskrat. When Michele was able to get them backinto the house, she discovered that one of them, Nathan, was lyingon the carpet in a pool of blood. Having suffered a severe puncturewound, Nathan required surgery to stop the injured vein frombleeding. Thankfully, the surgery was a success and Nathan made afull recovery.

“When your veterinarian is stand there telling you what needs tobe done to save your dog's life, the last thing you want to worryabout is how much it will cost,” says Robert, Michele'shusband.

Major Accident

Joseph Burns of Minneapolis, Minn. and his Labrador retrieverMajor were playing one of their usual games of fetch with dummybirds when Major ran full-speed into a rock that resembled his toy.The dog suffered from several broken teeth and possible braintrauma. Luckily, a vet did not find signs of brain damage, but wasunable to salvage five of Major's teeth, which had toextracted.

Nuts for Nuts

When her English cocker spaniel Tomis ate a bowl of raisins andalmonds, Ellen Unsworth of Sacramento, Calif. immediately broughthim to the vet for potential raisin toxicity. While being treatedfor food poisoning, the vet discovered that Tomis had coughed up analmond, causing it to get lodged in the back of his nose. Thealmond needed to be removed surgically.

Bacon Overdose

Pot-bellied pig Crispy Bacon's owners Teresa and Ian Choe of LasVegas, Nev. came home to find he had knocked over a table withprescription drug bottles on it and swallowed ibuprofen,acetaminophen, omeprazole and beta blockers. Crispy Bacon began tovomit and concern rose for the health of his heart, kidneys andliver. After being treated for drug toxicity, he made a fullrecovery.

Life Saver

Collars typically ensure a dog's safety, but one day CalixteDefay of Bryan, Texas came home to find his Labrador puppy Berettahanging from the barbecue grill by her collar. Defay believesBeretta became tangled while exploring the grill, and twistedaround, making her collar tighter. Defay immediately removed thecollar and took the immobile Beretta to the vet where thankfullyshe was immediately revived and was determined to have suffered noserious damage.

Escalator Misstep

While on vacation, Scott Thisdale's shiba inu Kei got his pawcaught on an escalator's grates. Luckily, a woman guided them tothe nearest emergency animal hospital. Kei's injuries included nailbed avulsions and lacerations on the pad of his left, hind paw.After stitches and six hours in the hospital, Scott and Kei wereable to continue enjoying their vacation.

One Clean Pup

Dogs are notorious for having beef with vacuum cleaners, but notHavee. Janice and Angelo Donato of Pompton Plains, N.J. recalledthat their Havanese lived peacefully with their vacuum until Angeloaccidentally vacuumed under a table while Havee was sleeping there.He let out a yelp and ran out of the room, and later in the day theDonatos realized that Havee wasn't wagging his tail. A vetdetermined that the vacuum ran over Havee's tail and caused severebruising.

Fast as … A Turtle?

One day when Susan Burr of Rocky Hill, Conn. was outside withher golden retriever Ginger, a giant turtle piqued the dog'scuriosity. Instinctively, Ginger sniffed the turtle, who quicklysnapped on Ginger's muzzle. The startled Burr took her equallystartled companion to the vet, where they were relieved to learnthat her wounds were superficial.

Eight Left

They say cats have nine lives, and after surviving a 100-footfall, you better believe it's true for Baxter. Diana McDougle ofSeattle watched as her cat nudged the glass of a window open enoughto slip out onto the ledge and fall 11 stories. Baxter suffered abroken collarbone, dislocated sternum and fluid surrounding hisheart and lungs, but made a full recovery.