Recovery after surgery

Question
Hi, Dana,
I wrote to you a while ago about our bunny, Max, who had undescended testicles and testicular cancer.  (By the way, the pathology from the surgery came back and it was definitely testicular cancer and nearby tissues didn't show any sign of spread. yay!) My question is about recovery from surgery.  His operation was almost a month ago, but he still seems low-energy and withdrawn.  He hangs out with his bunny pal, but doesn't let us pet him much before hopping into his cage.  Also, it just seems like whenever we come into the room he is deeply asleep -- deeply, as in we can approach, shuffle our feet near him, put a hand in front of him, and even put a hand gently on his back before he "starts" awake.  He used to wake up whenever we came in or at least when we put a hand in front of his nose. He eats and drinks normally, but he doesn't seem to groom himself much. We're wondering if: 1)He's still in pain (his vet prescribed metacam for 7 days after the surgery)and should be getting something for that or 2)He's just sick of being handled and touched and poked and medicated by people and wants us to leave him alone or 3) His (very late) neutering is somehow affecting his energy and, well, joie de vivre, I guess.  Or is it just that he's almost 8, he's been through a lot and it will take longer than we thought for him to perk up?  Obviously, you can't tell me anything for sure, but do you have any thoughts on this?  Should we take him back to the vet?  (He did go back for a post-surgery checkup at one week, and she said he was doing very well.)
Thanks for taking the time to listen to a worried "bunny mama"! Again!
Leah

Answer
Dear Leah,

What a lucky bun to have such a caring, attentive mom.  :)

An eight year old bun will have a longer recovery period than a younger bunny, but I'd expect him to be pretty much recovered after a month.  It's possible that the change in his hormone levels have affected his personality to some degree, and that he's still just a bit tired and worn out from the long period of recovery.

It would be a bad idea to ask the vet about drawing blood for a cell count and complete blood chemistry, to be sure all his organs are in good shape.  

But at his age, it could just be that he's slowing down, and that the sudden loss of testosterone-based "energy" is making this more obvious.

I'm glad he's well, and hope that he starts to feel better soon!

Dana