I remember now that the vet did say they had given him a pain med, and to not give him anymore. They said that it was for the first night and that by morning he shold be feeling better. But they also said if you give them pain meds to mask the pain, then they are more apt to try and act like normal, where they might actually end up hurting themselves more.

That makes sense to me.... I currently know someone who ust went through a hystorectomy (sp?) and she was told its a 6 week recovery time. After less than one week, she's up and down the steps, lifitng & moving things, etc. All because the pain meds are masking the real pain. She's even admitting that one.