Jack The Bulldog: ACL Tear

[lichoya68]

Yup best of luck to our mascot and his keeper. Jack tore his ACL .. he is getting canine orthopedic consult wed. .. get well soon Jack ... Hope he's ok and i guess its ok to pray for a dog especially our jack.

[crashdavis]

Mar 12, 2012 19:11:35 GMT -5 lichoya68 said:

Yup best of luck to our mascot and his keeper. Jack tore his ACL .. he is getting canine orthopedic consult wed. .. get well soon Jack ... Hope he's ok and i guess its ok to pray for a dog especially our jack.

Tough break, though he should be fine in 6-8 weeks. My old english bulldog just had ACL surgery (tightrope technique) about a month ago after he tore it while (I kid you not) getting on the couch. He is getting around great already, though still has a slight limp. Most difficult thing about it is to make sure he doesn't over do it.

[jwp91]

I have a 15 year old whippet that has torn the ACLs in both back legs. (He also had a front leg amputated.) The ACL surgery was by far the toughest on him....worse than the amputation. We didn't repair the second ACL tear and he has done just fine...though he spends his days sleeping on the couch. Getting up and down the stairs is a bit too much too.

[sleepyjackson21]

Get well Jack.

[FromTheBeginning]

My bulldog George has the same thing but it's just a partial tear - we've delayed surgery to see if it heals itself but they say the worst part is the recovery period (8-10 weeks) and trying to keep them quiet so they don't tear up the repair. Best of luck to my buddy Jack & Father Chris. And Father Chris has ruled that it is OK to say a prayer for dogs.

[CWS]

Thanks all for the thoughts and prayers.

Jack seems to be walking around o.k. I have to set up the couch cushions so he doesn't jump up on them.

He's meeting with the orthopedic surgeon now next Tuesday. The original surgeon was out in Columbia, MD, and the trek was intimidating. Also, this surgeon will do the consult and surgery (if we do it) in the same visit.

I'll post what happens.

[MassHoya]

Looks like Jack's season is over. Like a true Hoya, though, I am sure he will be ready for next year. Get well, Jack.

[crashdavis]

Mar 13, 2012 9:57:54 GMT -5 FromTheBeginning said:

My bulldog George has the same thing but it's just a partial tear - we've delayed surgery to see if it heals itself but they say the worst part is the recovery period (8-10 weeks) and trying to keep them quiet so they don't tear up the repair. Best of luck to my buddy Jack & Father Chris. And Father Chris has ruled that it is OK to say a prayer for dogs.

One thing to watch with the partial tear is how much they favor that leg. With my bulldog, he had a partial tear that we had wanted to see if it would heal before surgery. What ended up happening is that he lost muscle tone/strength in that leg because he favored it too much.

If I had to do it over again I would have went ahead and had the tightrope surgery before the complete tear to minimize recovery time. Its a less invasive surgery (they don't even go into the knee) that is meant to stabilize the joint and is a lot cheaper than TTA or TPLO surgery.

[nychoya3]

Jack will be back strong. And his game always relied more on heart and brute strength than athleticism so I'm sure he'll be ready to tear those boxes up by Midnight Madness.

[aristides]

Is it too late for the medical redshirt? Get well Jack.

[hoyarooter]

Best of luck to Jack, a prince among dogs.

[CWS]

Slow news day? Or just part of the endless stories, sub-stories, spins and color that will appear in this most wonderful sports season?

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/georgetown-mascot-jack-the-bulldog-injured-surgery-possible/2012/03/13/gIQANIzo9R_blog.html

[98hoya]

This is really sad and - as best I understand it - this injury is consistent with the irresponsible way bulldogs are currently being bred. Lest you think I'm a fanatic, take 1/2 hour and read this piece on the breed-wide problems caused of modern bulldogs. It was in the NY Times last November:

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?pagewanted=all

Perhaps when Jack retires, we can think about modifying the inbreeding that is killing these animals to try to make them match an unnatural and harmful aesthetic. I love our mascot, but I don't love it enough to make these dogs live such sad lives to entertain me.

[TigerHoya]

Mar 13, 2012 15:25:48 GMT -5 @98hoya said:

This is really sad and - as best I understand it - this injury is consistent with the irresponsible way bulldogs are currently being bred. Lest you think I'm a fanatic, take 1/2 hour and read this piece on the breed-wide problems caused of modern bulldogs. It was in the NY Times last November:

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?pagewanted=all

Perhaps when Jack retires, we can think about modifying the inbreeding that is killing these animals to try to make them match an unnatural and harmful aesthetic. I love our mascot, but I don't love it enough to make these dogs live such sad lives to entertain me.

I've heard a lot about breeding issues with bulldogs. Dalmatians used to have a lot of inbreeding problems too. My family bred boxers when I was a kid so it's an issue I've followed some.

[kchoya]

Made Deadspin:

deadspin.com/5892910/jack-the-georgetown-bulldog-may-need-knee-surgery

At eight years old, Jack is no spring chicken. But he recently injured his leg jumping to the couch, and is going for a second opinion to see if surgery will be required. Not a great day for the Hoyas, who won a tournament bracket based on tuition. Not a great day for Jack, because he's a Bulldog and is genetically unfeasible.

From the comments section:

MEMO
Fr: David Stern, Commissioner
To: Portland Trailblazers
Re: Jack the Bulldog

Don't even think about it.

[CWS]

Mar 13, 2012 15:25:48 GMT -5 @98hoya said:

This is really sad and - as best I understand it - this injury is consistent with the irresponsible way bulldogs are currently being bred. Lest you think I'm a fanatic, take 1/2 hour and read this piece on the breed-wide problems caused of modern bulldogs. It was in the NY Times last November:

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?pagewanted=all

Perhaps when Jack retires, we can think about modifying the inbreeding that is killing these animals to try to make them match an unnatural and harmful aesthetic. I love our mascot, but I don't love it enough to make these dogs live such sad lives to entertain me.

Actually, this kind of injury is not a bulldog thing, and is somewhat common among dogs. The Bulldog Club of America submitted a response to the NYTimes article. The main gist of the response was that a significant source of the problem was bad breeding, mostly done by puppy mills. Good breeding means that dogs won't have the kind of sad existence described in the article, but good breeding is also labor intensive and expensive. Bulldogs are hot right now as a breed, and that attracts a lot of unqualified breeders.

Jack has had a happy life and has mostly been free of health issues. And, if you've ever seen him get ready to go to the games, you'd know just how much he enjoys what he has to do (along with golf cart rides, car rides, eating boxes). The article's quote from one critic, suggesting that bulldog owners are in denial if they think their dogs are happy, goes against my own experiences with Jack.

Bulldogs are a wonderful breed, and wonderfully entertaining. The key is not getting rid of the breed; the key is making sure not to reward unscrupulous breeders by purchasing their puppies.

Jack is almost 9, and he doesn't have the stamina he used to, but it hasn't prevented him from enjoying life.

[PhillyHoya]

Mar 13, 2012 16:07:20 GMT -5 CWS said:

Actually, this kind of injury is not a bulldog thing, and is somewhat common among dogs.

Exactly. My dad's cockapoo tore her ACL walking down an incline. One of my terriers did it getting off a couch as well. It happens across all breeds and with adequate rest, they'll be good as new.

Too bad Jack probably can't swim because that's actually great therapy for it.

[RusskyHoya]

Mar 13, 2012 16:04:16 GMT -5 kchoya said:

Made Deadspin:

deadspin.com/5892910/jack-the-georgetown-bulldog-may-need-knee-surgery

At eight years old, Jack is no spring chicken. But he recently injured his leg jumping to the couch, and is going for a second opinion to see if surgery will be required. Not a great day for the Hoyas, who won a tournament bracket based on tuition. Not a great day for Jack, because he's a Bulldog and is genetically unfeasible.

From the comments section:

MEMO
Fr: David Stern, Commissioner
To: Portland Trailblazers
Re: Jack the Bulldog

Don't even think about it.

Best comment, from this perspective of this dispirited Colts fan:

"He's been an unwavering, proud, sturdy symbol of the franchise for a decade or so, and now he's got a bad-yet-fixable injury? Better euthanize him."

-Jim Irsay

[98hoya]

Mar 13, 2012 16:07:20 GMT -5 CWS said:

Mar 13, 2012 15:25:48 GMT -5 @98hoya said:

This is really sad and - as best I understand it - this injury is consistent with the irresponsible way bulldogs are currently being bred. Lest you think I'm a fanatic, take 1/2 hour and read this piece on the breed-wide problems caused of modern bulldogs. It was in the NY Times last November:

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/magazine/can-the-bulldog-be-saved.html?pagewanted=all

Perhaps when Jack retires, we can think about modifying the inbreeding that is killing these animals to try to make them match an unnatural and harmful aesthetic. I love our mascot, but I don't love it enough to make these dogs live such sad lives to entertain me.

Actually, this kind of injury is not a bulldog thing, and is somewhat common among dogs. The Bulldog Club of America submitted a response to the NYTimes article. The main gist of the response was that a significant source of the problem was bad breeding, mostly done by puppy mills. Good breeding means that dogs won't have the kind of sad existence described in the article, but good breeding is also labor intensive and expensive. Bulldogs are hot right now as a breed, and that attracts a lot of unqualified breeders.

Jack has had a happy life and has mostly been free of health issues. And, if you've ever seen him get ready to go to the games, you'd know just how much he enjoys what he has to do (along with golf cart rides, car rides, eating boxes). The article's quote from one critic, suggesting that bulldog owners are in denial if they think their dogs are happy, goes against my own experiences with Jack.

Bulldogs are a wonderful breed, and wonderfully entertaining. The key is not getting rid of the breed; the key is making sure not to reward unscrupulous breeders by purchasing their puppies.

Jack is almost 9, and he doesn't have the stamina he used to, but it hasn't prevented him from enjoying life.

Thank you for your response. I'd love to have a dialogue on this topic and my comments were not intended to be off-putting or confrontational. I hope Jack has a quick recovery!

On to the veterinary issues: I'm glad to hear this particular ACL injury isn't breed related. I also defer to your experience with this particular dog in terms of his state of happiness.

I am no vet and no expert, but I do want to point out a few things in response that I think we should all consider. First, a bit of googling indicates to me that ACL injuries are very much a bulldog thing. They appear to be common among bulldogs and even more so among those bred to be of abnormal proportions. Here, for example, is the Univ. of Georgia website discussing common bulldog problems and focusing on ACL injuries among just a few other:

dlprit.myweb.uga.edu/larry/commonproblems.html#aclissues

Also, the bulldog breeder's group's claim that bad bulldog health is a function of puppy mills seems off -base to me (particularly in light of who offered it - the NYT savaged the self-protective bulldog organizations as caring about their dogs' looks, but not health). If it's just puppy mills, there'd be no explanation for the terrible health among the famed Uga line of dogs that have served as mascots at UGA. Those dogs live better - and purportedly are bred better - than any other bulldog. Yet, the Ugas are the poster-children for everything that's wrong with the breed in terms of health.

[hoyarooter]

Father, what's Jack's favorite type of box?