Food availability

I have a little girl with the same issue - her nails grow like you wouldn't believe!  I'm always embarrased because I've been "behind" ever since we moved and I neglected all my dogs' grooming (lol, it took over a month to move the farm 90 miles).  I know what you mean about catching up.  I can't use the Dremel on Zhi because her feet are covered with long hobbit hair - she's a Chinese Crested.

I can tell the difference in your pictures.  There's a bit of sagginess, lack of muscle tone, that's especially noticeable in the face.  That just screams thyroid to me.  You'd be really surprised at how much is all linked together with thyroid problems - skin issues are a big one - my Ben with hypothyroidism has those fatty tumors now, and so did my other two dogs who had thyroid problems (it's very common in older BCs).  In all cases, most of them went away once I got their hormones fixed. 

I just got a rescue in with thyroid issues - he was only three (most vets won't even think of hypothyroidism in that young a dog), but had that "old dog" look, couldn't tolerate normal food, was overweight on a tiny bit of food, and had those wacky fatty lumps.  I gave him the once over and hauled him to the vet immediately for testing.  Sure enough, he tested low and was put on thryoid meds.

It definitely depends on the vet, but I have not found the complete panel (be sure you ask for the COMPLETE panel) to be all that expensive - maybe $80 to $100 including the office visit.  Dr. Dodds is the least expensive at, um, I think it's $45?  But of course you have to pay for the draw and special postage yourself - but I think Dr. Dodds is the best.