BOSTON -- If you're a pet owner, your favorite pooch or feline friend has probably been in a scrape or two that required a veterinarian's intervention: the too-large hairball, nasty bee stings, that awful situation with tinsel during the holidays.

Those difficulties are mild, however, in comparison to this year's nominees for the first annual Hambone Awards being given by a veterinary pet insurance company that has seen some rather bizarre claims, including one for a Mississippi Jack Russell terrier that ate an entire turtle, and then had to have a piece of shell surgically removed from her nose.

The award was named in honor of a Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. claimant's dog, which managed to eat an entire Thanksgiving ham after getting trapped inside a refrigerator.

The company, which says it is the nation's oldest and largest pet insurance provider, has spent the last year collecting examples of some of its customers most astonishing claims and is now inviting the public to vote on what it thinks are the most outrageous.

“Our intent with the Hambone Award is to let pet owners know just how unexpected the unexpected can be,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI.

Nominees -- all of which made full recoveries -- include a Pennsylvania Brittany spaniel that ate toxic bra inserts, a California French bulldog that had a lump on his side that turned out to be a corn dog stick, a Missouri English bulldog that ate 15 pacifiers, and a Siamese cat named Scooter that got a needle (with thread) stuck in her tongue. It also pierced her brain.

The company, which has offered pet insurance since 1982, said it has policies that cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries.

Pet owners can find VPI Pet Insurance on Facebook or follow @VPI on Twitter.