After what seemed like an endless day without our four legged family member, Charlie came home and boy oh boy, were we happy to have him back. The vet's suspicions about a foxtail in his ear proved to be correct and after sedating him they were able to extract it. Turns out he also has some yeast infection in there too (probably due to the water being trapped in his floppy ears) so for the next week Charlie is strictly a landlubber while we treat him with some very expensive ear drops.
The reunion was as expected: an extremely jumpy/leapy/licky/happy dog and a giggling/smiling/snuggling boy. Tim presented Charlie with his recovery toy (ironically, a water toy but we'll enjoy some dry play for the next week) and Charlie happily accepted.
So it seems that things are back to normal now. Thanks to all for your warm wishes - rest assured, Chuck is on the mend!
QUICK UPDATE: I've had lots of folks asking about foxtails. They're nasty little weed seeds that embed in the coats of unsuspecting doggies causing great pain and in some extreme cases, fatalities. Read a great blog about them here.
