Jo Peshek wrote in a message to Joan Kelly:
 JP> Poor pup.  I had an underactive thyroid for about a
 JP> year following therapy to kill my overactive thyroid.
 JP> One does get *dry* skin.  I also got stupider and
 JP> slower as the year wore on until I was almost at a dead
 JP> stop and too dumb to realize it.    When the Dr
 JP> whacked my knee, he could go out for coffee and come
 JP> back before my knee jerked.  Did your Collie dull down
 JP> too?
He became very slow, overweight, his hair fell out, his skin became 
terrible--open sores, etc.  In spite of which, the vet I was seeing at the 
time would shrug everytime I asked her what she thought the problem was.  
When I made a specific appointment with my original vet, he immediately 
suspected thyroid, took x-rays to make sure he didn't have hip dysplasia, 
gave him antibiotics for the skin problem, and did blood tests.  When Danny 
showed positive for hypoactive thyroid, he put him on medication for that.
He eventually returned to being a more active dog, lost weight, and his hair 
grew back in.  He always had recurring skin problems, though, periodically 
requiring treatment.  For his whole life, he did best when I gave him a bath 
every week with special shampoo.  We grew to be very tolerant of the 
exercise, although it was hardly his favorite.
I imagine it is very possible for cats to suffer from the same problem, but I 
have never asked the vet about it specifically.
Joan
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