Cost of euthanasia

[EAMULE@aol.com]

I am just curious.  From different posts I have gotten the impression that
putting a horse down in some parts of the country is very expensive.

When I had to put my stallion down due to colic the whole bill for that vet
was around $77 and that included the trip fee.  Granted that was 10 years ago,
but I doubt it would be much more now.  

While I am thinking about my stallion I want to ask a question off subject.
When he was colicing we had been working on him for 12 hours.  This horse was
drugged to the hilt and was still in severe pain.  I wanted to put him down
and the vet would not do it.  He wanted me to take the horse to Mississippi
State Vet School over 4 hours away.

When I convinced him I would not do that the vet gave me 3 syringes of pain
medicine and said "good luck" and left.  This was on a Sunday night around 10
o'clock. Needless to say I haven't used him since.

I had a hard time tracking down another vet, but got one I had never met
before out of a clinic I would have never used under ordinary circumstances.
This vet came out.  I asked him to look Billy over and give me his opinion and
options.  He said we could do a belly tap and some other stuff.  I said, "No."
Billy had been through enough.  I asked him to put him down.  He did. 

From that night until today this guy has been my equine vet.  I just used him
from that clinic and no one else.  

After saying all that has anyone ever had a vet REFUSE to do something like
putting a horse down?  At the time I was stunned.  I feel like this guy was
more the exception than the rule.  

I see nothing unethical in putting an animal who has been suffering terribly
down if that is what the client wants done.

What do other vets do in this situation?   

Ellen
Memphis