>From: The Countess <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Cremation Fees > >How about it? What does everyone else pay for this service?? I'm in Miami, FL and our local pet cemetary, Pet Heaven, charges by the weight of the animal and if I recall correctly, I paid around $90 to have Beasley cremated last year. I also had the question, "Am I really getting back the ashes of my animal?" Of course they're going to tell me yes, but I'm fortunate in that I have the former general manager of Pet Heaven working for me at my place of business and as soon as I found that out, I asked him. He assured me that when one pays for a private cremation, the ashes you get back are definitely from your animal. At least at this place. I can't speak for others. He also filled me in on some of the details on how it works. When the body is cremated, the only thing left is bones. There are nearly zero ashes left from the body, since it's mostly water to begin with and the oven is like a couple thousand degrees. They have a crushing device that pulverizes the bones afterwards and this may be why the "ashes" sometimes look different from one cremation to the next. I guess it all depends on how long they leave the remains in the machine that pulverizes the bones. Not a pleasant topic, but thought some would like to know a few of the details. For the ferrets, Mike * Michael Janke, [log in to unmask] * South Florida Ferret Help Line, 305-752-7040 * * Website: http://www.miamiferret.org * Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.ferrethealth.info * * Ferret Health List: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth [Posted in FML issue 3942]