Risa asked about chordomas and amputation.  My ferret Pan had a chordoma
at the tip of his tail.  The last inch of his tail was amputated.  He
didn't seem that bothered by the surgery; he was on anti-inflammatory
medication for a few days following the surgery that probably also helped
reduce any pain.  A chordoma isn't painful while it's small, but as it
grows the skin stretches and ruptures, which as you can imagine would be
quite painful and also carries risk of infection.
 
I don't know if you've done much research on chordomas, but I would be a
bit worried by its location at the base of the tail rather than the end.
Chordomas on the spine can be quite dangerous.  However, if your vet has
already seen him and suggested amputation, then hopefully the chordoma
is limited to the tail itself.
 
Good luck,
Regina
 
Regina Harrison  [log in to unmask]
http://users.rcn.com/badriya/
blog: http://badriya-z.blogspot.com/
 
"Is that my business?  Well, what is my business?  Do I know?  Did I ever
know?  Let s not go into that.  You re not human tonight, Marlowe.  Maybe
I never was or ever will be... Maybe we all get like this in the cold
half-lit world where always the wrong thing happens and never the right."
--Raymond Chandler, The Little Sister
[Posted in FML issue 4745]