>One thing that we can't figure out is why she sometimes gets a fever --
>no apparent reason why -- and I have to take her down to the vet for an
>injection to bring her temperature down.
 
Dear X:
 
One possibility that I have seen over the years is periodic pyrexia as a
result of subclinical gastric ulcers.  The reason behind this is that when
you have a hole in the lining of the stomach, the normal bacterial products
and other mildly toxic substances present in the stomach go right into the
bloodstream.  These substances result in fever, as the body raises its temp
to be less hospitable for bacteria.
 
Not sure if this is the case, but certainly something to think about.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3519]