We lost our older pony on Memorial Day weekend. Dr. Lisas told me someone should come out, when I called at first, but she was not on call. Dr. Parks told me it didn't sound bad, she wasn't rolling, she wasn't biting at her sides, but I could come out to his home and get banamine for her pain and that sounded like all that could be done. We did that. The banamine made her sleepy and dopey. The next day, she was no better, no worse. Dr. Parks came out at ten o'clock on Sunday night and gave more banamine and more oil. By the time, she had no gut sounds: he was 50/50 she'd get over it. Yes, over the phone he informed me right away about the $100 emergency charge: I said, just come....He seemed genuinely concerned when he got here. He seemed to like my pony and I told him she could be moody and nasty, but wasn't she the cutest thing, and I think he really knew how I felt about her. We'd already poured as much oil as we could into her over the last two days, because I'd also called Dr. Miller (not on call, either). The pony died two hours after he left. What upset me is that I told him if she started to get down and roll, I'd call him to come put her down immediately. Given her age, no gut sounds - I wasn't going to watch her die in agony. I couldn't do that. At about 11:30 pm, I did try to call him: he had assured me he'd have his pager on. When I went back down to the field, she was in shock, and she died a few minutes later. He did call me back, but at 7 the next morning. He apologized and said he hadn't heard his pager; he'd left it downstairs. What if she had layed down in agony for hours, and I couldn't have reached him? I was very upset that he seemed so caring but that I would not have been able to reach him (short of driving to his house, but I think I would have taken out a gun first and done the job myself rather than prolong the whole thing). I have to say this, though, about that emergency charge. He charged us $130 TOTAL for coming out including the meds, the oil, time, farm visit and this was before he left our house; maybe he thought she wasn't going to pull thru and it was a mercy bill, but I don't think so. I'd use them again, but it was own ignorance which didn't force them out earlier.