A dog owner was so in love with this poor pup she shelled out £2,500 to keep him alive and well.

Sophie Goodale took Burnie, a six-and-a-half month old West Highland Terrier, home from Petsville in Richmond Road, Kingston, four months ago.

But he was suffering from diarrhoea and quickly deteriorated, howling and being sick every time he ate.

Vets diagnosed Burnie with Isopora infection, indicative of overcrowding, poor hygiene and poor animal husbandry.

Petsville owner Barry Boys reimbursed the £2,495 medical fees, but said the animal was fine at the shop and that a touch of diarrhoea was normal when animals were shifted around.

Burnie has now had an operation but vets are still unable to determine if he will make a fully recovery.

Miss Goodale, 26, from west London, said: "The shop should be shut down selling on ill pets like that.

"Mr Boys offered to swap my dog for another one I was shocked. It's an awful lot of money but I just want the best for poor Burnie and any other pups from the same litter which may be suffering."

Mr Boys, who has been trading for 35 years, said: "The money was a goodwill gesture and not an admission of liability.

"There are another two puppies from the same litter which are fine. I wouldn't want to sell any ill animals.

"The puppy was vaccinated, had been checked over by vets and was okay when he left the shop. She (Miss Goodale) wasn't prepared to get the money from her insurance so we wrote out a full cheque for the vet's fees. Her boss said he was quite happy with that."

Miss Goodale said Bernie was not insured, which was why she initially had to pay the full costs herself.

Mr Boys said the shop had regular inspections from the council and RSPCA and had 30 dogs, with double the amount of recommended space for them.

He admitted offering Miss Goodale another dog as part of the store's guarantee promise.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said it was investigating the complaint. She said: "People shouldn't buy pets from pet shops because they don't know where they have been bred. It's very difficult to prosecute pet shops because we can't prove where the poor husbandry took place."