A PAISLEY puppy which was at the centre of a fundraising campaign has been removed from its owner.

The heartbroken family of Karma, a Bulldog cross, launched a plea to raise funds for the 11-week-old puppy to undergo surgery to treat a rare bone deformity in July 2016.

More than £6,000 was raised on a GoFundMe page while other donations were given in cash to the family by generous animal lovers.

Celtic Football Club, Farmfoods, WH Smith and Handmade Burger Co also sent raffle donations for the fund to help.

A year and a half on, Karma has yet to receive the ‘life-saving’ surgery to prolong her life and has now been taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA.

Karma’s former owner Staci Paterson has been slammed on social media for failing to get the dog treatment.

The mum-of-two, however, has said she was advised to wait until the puppy was one-year-old until she considered putting her through surgery.

Staci, 25, said: “After we received all the donations, we took Karma to a specialist vet in Stirling where she was x-rayed and given pain relief.

“We were advised to wait until she was fully grown before going ahead with the surgery.

“In that time my daughter was admitted to hospital and things got really bad so the money was just left sitting untouched in the account.

“I’m more than happy for people to apply for a refund, I know some people already have and have gotten the money back.

“The dog is registered under my ex-partner’s name so there is nothing I can do at this point.

"I live with two young children and our flat has nine flights of stairs so it wouldn't be fair to bring Karma back here."

Speculation online suggested that Karma could be put to sleep by the charity due to her health problems but a worker said that they are going to do all they can to help the dog.

Scottish SPCA Inspector Laura McIntyre said: “We can confirm a dog came into our care as part of an enquiry in Paisley.”

Anyone who donated to Karma's fund is able to apply for a refund through gofundme.com

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed that enquiries were ongoing after they received a call in relation to the incident but that no crime had been detected.

A GoFundMe spokesperson added: "This case is currently being looked into. Refunds are available under our Gofundme guarantee, donors should visit Gofundme.com/guarantee.”