Moving pets abroad has always been expensive. It's about to get worse.

Melissa Abell will do anything for her family, including making financial sacrifices that most people wouldn't think of.

To fly her family — a small but loyal group of a German shepherd, an Australian kelpie and three cats — from Louisville, Kentucky, to London in September, it will take Ms. Abell countless hours of research, a lot of paperwork and an estimated amount cost. $4,300 in freight costs alone. To save for it, she's cutting back on a range of costs, including cutting bills, eliminating neighborhood meals and forgoing certain entertainment.

Despite her efforts, Ms. Abell fears the price tag will rise.

IAG Cargo, the multi-airline cargo handling arm that Ms. Abell uses to transport her animals, recently announced that it will increase prices on some routes starting March 1. The move is sparking anger and panic among pet owners planning to move, especially to and from Britain and the United States.

The increase, which could triple or even quadruple costs for some travelers, could force some pet owners to choose between paying higher prices to move their pets or abandoning them.

“To reflect the complexity of this customized service and the cost of providing the very best care for pets traveling as cargo, “we have made some changes to our pricing,” an IAG Cargo spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday. declaration.

Details around the new pricing structures and affected routes were unclear, but some companies working with IAG Cargo were already seeing the effects. Kimberley Cirone, director of Pets Abroad UK, a pet relocation company that caters to all customer needs and works with airlines, said the cost of transferring pets between Britain and the United States rose by 400 percent “ without warning, no. attention, no explanation.”

Ms Cirone, who was informed of the cost increase last week, said customers would start feeling the pressure on their wallets within a few weeks. Before the increases, shipping a cat or small dog using her company's services would cost about 1,200 British pounds, or about $1,500, Ms. Cirone said. Now that price has risen to 3,500 pounds, or about $4,400.

Owners of larger dogs will feel an even bigger pinch. To fly a Labrador now might cost £3,000, Ms Cirone said. “With the new rate,” she said, “you're looking closer to 11,000 to 12,000 pounds,” or about $15,000.

Transporting live animals from one country to another is a lengthy and complex task. Because requirements can vary based on the animal, airline and destination, pet owners often hire freight forwarders to help them navigate the process.

Owners must first decide whether their animals are eligible to fly in the cabin or whether they should be stowed in the hold, said Markus Ruediger, a spokesman for the International Air Transportation Association. Pet owners are then required to complete all necessary customs and health certifications for the countries of departure and destination.

After landing, the animals pass through customs and owners may have to pay taxes depending on the destination. Some animals may also be inspected by veterinary authorities. “The recommendation is certainly to plan as early as possible,” Mr. Ruediger said. “Don't plan to fly from New York to Europe tomorrow and take your dog with you without prior preparation because that probably won't work.”

Back in Kentucky, Ms. Abell, 47, a college student with plans to study human biology at the University of Glasgow this fall, said she received three different quotes from pet movers to transport her pets, ranging from $10,500.

She chose to go through the process herself, but once she's done with all the necessary preparations — receiving health certificates, blood work, purchasing kennels for each animal and more — she estimates her total cost will be just under $8,000 amounts.

“I don't have much choice,” Ms. Abell said. “Pay what they ask, or pay more with an animal transporter. But it remains expensive.” She also fears that the $4,300 she received from IAG Cargo for freight costs will increase significantly after the price increase.

Dean Faulkner, director of Silver Birch Pet Jets, a company based in England that helps transport pets, mainly for military personnel, questioned why IAG Cargo had not consulted with pet moving companies.

“In recent days we have had so many difficult conversations with families who have already booked flights for the future that costs are now set to skyrocket,” Mr Faulkner said.

He said American and British military personnel would suffer most from the price increases because of the short timeframes of the orders they receive.

“For families where costs are too high, their pets are at risk of being rehomed,” he said.

Despite the challenges and possible rising costs, Ms. Abell is moving full steam ahead with her move, pets and all.

Once she lands in London in September, she will make her way through customs and collect her animals, a process she estimates could take up to seven hours. She then drives approximately 400 miles from London to Glasgow.

“To me, it's my children,” Ms. Abell said as her dogs barked in the background. “If I adopt and they cross my threshold, they stay with me. That's a rule I've established over the countless years of owning animals. I never bring in more than I can afford.”