Rabbit constantly shifting, small black spot, and wet tail

Question
Hello!

I recently adopted a two year old rabbit. She hadn't been spayed by the original owner so I took her in about a month ago. Everything went fine, she got the antibiotic shots and every and quickly recovered. Last night I felt a piece of really hard what I think could've been matted fur. It was jutting out of a very dark round scab. I left it alone not wanting to pull it out and this morning it was gone but the black spot was still there with only the spine of either the fur or whatever it was inside. Also, she hasn't been able to get comfortable. She continual lies flat on her stomach but will no sooner pop up and shift. I let her out of her cage to see if she needed more stretching room but still she continues to seem uncomfortable. I also noticed the bottom her tail is wet. This could probably be indigestion related? It's hard for me to tell if she's pooped at all since yesterday but I believe she has.

I know the immediate answer should be to take her to a vet but until then is there anyway I can make her more comfortable?

Thank you so much for your time,
Nancy

Answer
Dear Nancy,

Getting her to the vet is the most important thing.  Until she can get some analgesics, she'll have a hard time getting comfortable.  For abdominal pain (this sounds to me like a possible urinary tract infection or other UT problem, but only an in-person veterinary exam can really confirm anything like this), Banamine is fantastic.  Many vets won't use it off-label, but we've found it's amazing for pain relief in rabbits.

Please see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html

and if she is not producing poop, or if her appetite diminishes, please see:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

You can find a rabbit vet here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana