A MUM who starved two huskies so badly that their bones were left exposed and one of them had to be put down has been banned from keeping animals.

Danielle Brown, 31, didn’t give pets Skylar and Shasta enough food and refused to take them to the vet.

Her cruelty left seven-year-old Shasta in such a “terrible state” that a concerned vet felt there was no option but to put the animal to sleep.

The dogs were taken to the vet by investigators from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) following an anonymous tip-off that they were being neglected.

Investigators arrived at Brown’s home in Dunlop Street, Linwood, on March 27 and took the animals away to have them examined.

Shasta’s ribs, hips and spine could clearly be seen through his coat. He also had a fever and tests revealed he had become blind in one eye due to glaucoma.

Vets who examined two-year-old Skylar could also clearly see her ribs, hips and spine.

Brown, a single mum-of-one, pleaded guilty to neglecting both pets between February 27 and March 27 this year, in breach of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, at an earlier hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court.

When she returned to the dock yesterday to be sentenced, Sheriff Craig Harris placed her on a Community Payback Order, telling her to carry out 75 hours of unpaid work over the next three months.

He also banned her from owning or working with all animals for the next five years and granted an order that will see Skylar taken off her and given to the SSPCA.

As he spared Brown prison, Sheriff Harris told her: “You neglected these dogs over a period of one month and the suffering caused to one of them required that dog to be put down.”

Scottish SPCA Inspector Laura McIntyre said: “Both Shasta and Skylar were in a severely emaciated state when we arrived, their hips and bones were visible through their coat and they were approximately 4 to 6kg below their ideal bodyweight.

“It was very clear that both dogs had been suffering for months and were in need of treatment long before we arrived. Unfortunately, Shasta was unable to recover from his condition and had to be put to sleep following veterinary advice.

“We’re delighted that the courts have dealt with this case and handed Brown a ban, however we currently feel sentencing for animal abuse is very inconsistent in Scotland and we would like to see an increase in the maximum jail sentence which would provide the sheriff with a greater range of options.”