[poohbearsmom]

The thing that should piss you off, is not that YOU left, she wasn't your dog. I personally have less than a happy feeling for the owners, who didn't want to put out the $$ to save her, by taking her to a vet that night. It's like I told your wife that night, I'd have written a check to the vet, then found some way to get the funds in the bank the next day, if it were my dog, and $$ was the issue, which it apparently was.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, do not, in any way blame yourself for what happened. You went WAY above and beyond the call, and for that, her owners are indebted, whether they realize it or not.

Back to the topic, this is a concern for folks in your area, and probably other less urban areas such as yours. You have one answering service for all the vets, and no emergency vet clinic.
I'd be interested to find out if the vets in your area would get together, to see if it's feesible for them to work out a plan that would enable folks to get their pets in right away when tragedy strikes.

Here in Tallahassee (which is far from urban..lol), we have an after hours emergency clinic - various vets/techs work different nights, and it's a cooperative thing.

Hugs, Elisabeth