Why is this going on with her tail?

[Birdy]

Just heard from the vet. She’s got cancer. We don’t know yet if it’s going/has spread or if it’s just in her bump. Cross your fingers it’s just there in her bump.
Second opinion appointment is this coming Thursday.

 

[AHBD]

Aw, sorry to hear that. : ( Hopefully it's just contained to the tail and that does confirm the need to amputate ASAP. If it hasn't spread she should recover, hope that is how it plays out. Best wishes to you + Liz !

 

[Birdy]

Thank you! Yes it will have to be amputated. I planned on getting it amputated even if it was just a bad infection because the bone has been eaten away there. I feel bad for Liz.

 

[Birdy]

UPDATE:
Hi,
Today was the second opinion appointment. The vet did blood work and her calcium levels are very high (higher than what their machine could do). Also it turns out she has liver disease (that is how the vet said it, she did not say fatty liver disease). The vet said that by the ultrasound she thinks the liver disease has been going on for a couple months, so not very long (I hope that's a good thing). The vet hinted that Liz might not make it much longer. Liz also has a lot of pressure on her lungs as shown on the ultrasound so the vet suspects other tumors are in her cavity.
Okay so here are my options for Liz:
1. Do nothing------ I don't plan to do this one at all
2. Antibiotics, painkillers and Lactulose (I'm pretty sure that's what the vet called it). I will probably do this option.
3. Take the tail off (But this is risky and might aggravate her liver and she might get sicker and/or she might not wake up)
The vet was very good and knew what she was talking about.
Here's the thing, Liz looks pretty good. She's still eating and looks alert. But I can also tell she doesn't feel 100%.
At this point the best thing is spend lots of time with her and give her lots of attention and just make her comfortable, right? There isn't really a way to cure her.
What do you all think?
Thanks,
Kelly

 

[AHBD]

Sorry to hear this update . : ( Personally I would have the tail amped, if she is doing well she may recover + since the vet is NOT sure the tumors are in her chest cavity then he's not giving her a chance. Cutting the tail off may be getting rid of the only real cancerous area right now and keeping it from spreading. Further down the road you may find the cancer has spread but right now there's no real hard evidence. Her liver function must not be too bad if she's eating + active. I would go for the tail amp. with local but I know you have to do what you think is best. Sorry that you have this difficult decision !

 

[DorgEndo]

So sorry the news isn't better. If this were my dragon I would amputate the tail. Could the bone loss of the tail be why the blood calcium level is so high? Did the vet say? I have personally experienced resorption of bone from an infection, it was very painful, but being a human the absorbed calcium from bone loss wasn't an issue. I got the infected bone removed then a bone graft. Amputation is the logical conclusion to remove one of her problems. Prevent that problem from spreading and getting worse. If the vet could do a lighter anesthesia rather than fully put under like your said in an earlier post