Stone-eating dog rocks competition - Providence Eyewitness News

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MANVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) - A local pug has garnered national attention for his rugged appetite.

Harley the pug was given the 3rd Annual Hambone Award for having the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year. Harley managed to eat and subsequently pass more than 100 rocks.

The award was created by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) to educate the public about the unexpected things that can happen to household pets. VPI is the nation's oldest and largest provider for pet health insurance.

More than 4,000 votes were cast on VPI's website in September to determine the winner among the 12 nominees. The nominees were picked out of more than a million claims received by VPI annually.

According to Lori Laverdiere, Harley's owner, the pug never showed any interest in eating rocks, or any other foreign object for that matter.

"I've had Harley for six years, since he was a puppy, and he's never done anything like this," said Laverdiere. "It just goes to show that you never really know what dogs will do, so you have to be prepared for everything."

Laverdiere discovered Harley's ailment upon her return from a trip. 

The rocks clogged Harley's entire intestinal tract and filled half his stomach. He couldn't eat or drink anything without vomiting.

Once Laverdiere realized the severity of the condition she rushed the dog to the animal hospital, where it was discovered just how many rocks Harley had ingested. It was decided that the rocks were small enough for the dog to pass without surgery. He was given medication to help with that and kept overnight for monitoring.

Harley made a full recovery within a couple of days.

"Foreign body ingestion can be a common occurrence in dogs, but Harley's incident of eating and safely passing more than 100 rocks is a rarity," said Carol McConnell, DVM, president and chief medical officer at VPI. "Pets have an unpredictable nature."

As the 2011 VPI Hambone Award winner, Harley will receive a bronze trophy in the shape of a ham, along with a "swag bag" filled with toys, treats and an emergency pet kit.