Abscess on bearded dragon?

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I received a 3 year old bearded dragon from a friend.  He had a tiny little lump underneath his mouth, near the opening of the mouth on his left side.  It was almost unnoticeable at that time.  It has gotten bigger since then, we've had him about 2 months now.  What could this be and should we take him to the vet?

ANSWER: Hello Shelly,

Yes, you need to take him to the vet so they can aspirate some fluid from that area.  
It is possible that he had obtained some type of mouth injury that has gotten infected somehow & is spreading.  Is it soft or hard to the touch?  
Is it affecting his ability to eat properly?

Tracie

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QUESTION: I do not believe that he had a mouth injury.  He is eating just fine, loves to eat actually!!  It is hard to the touch.

ANSWER: Hello Shelly,

Ok, so it is hard to the touch.  It sounds like it is most likely a cyst then, which should be easy to remove.  They can get cancer so hopefully it is not a tumor of some sort.
GREAT he is eating so well.  How large is the bump?
Maybe you could post a picture of him for me?
I still think taking him to the vet just to have them take a look might be a good idea though, since you said it has gotten larger.  
Let me know how things are going.

Tracie

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Bearded Dragon   QUESTION: Tracie, here is a picture of Godzilla, our Bearded Dragon.  As you can see, the bump is not very large, but noticeable.  Thank you for your help.  What do you think about this?  You probably can't tell from the picture, but his legs also seem a bit puffy.

Answer
Hello Shelly,

Ok, it is noticeable though.  It is most likely a cyst or a tumor, so, let's hope it is just a cyst & can be lanced off.  I do think you need to get it looked at though.  
There are alot of cases that are successful & since you are looking into it now before it gets worse, means he has a much better chance at getting it all taken care of.  
Since you have not had him for long, it is not your fault.  It sounds like he was not taken care of very well perhaps prior to you getting him.  
Did he have any UVB exposure previously?  What type & brand of UVB are you using now?  Can he get around well?  
Maybe he is going to shed if his legs are swollen. How badly are they swollen?  Do you offer oral fluids several times per week?  


Tracie