THE Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after three sick puppies were dumped in Renfrew.

The male Labradors were abandoned near the junction of Tiree Avenue and Cockles Loan between 3.30pm and 4pm on Tuesday.

A man was seen in the vicinity carrying puppies under his arm before the dogs were picked up by a member of the public who alerted Scotland's animal welfare charity.

The next day a member of the public called the Scottish SPCA's animal helpline to report that they'd purchased a similar puppy in Greenock a few days previously. 

Tragically, the puppy sadly passed away from parvovirus just days after they purchased the animal.

The Scottish SPCA said the unsuspecting member of the public was duped by the seller who claimed their home address was difficult to find and offered to meet them in a public place instead. 

After the man appeared with two puppies and a bitch he claimed was the pups' mother, the buyer was then left with thousands of pounds' worth of vet bills after trying in vain to save the dog's life.

The microchip from the deceased puppy is from the same batch as the microchips from the puppies found in Renfrew. It's suspected the remaining pups were callously dumped when the seller discovered they were ill.

Diseases like parvovirus are preventable with the correct vaccinations but can be common in pups raised in the low-welfare trade due to the poor conditions they are kept in. The mother is often unable to provide the pup with essential nutrients to fight disease or build up their immune system as she may be weak from overbreeding or the pup has been taken from her prematurely.

The puppies dumped in Renfrew are now at one of the charity's animal rescue and rehoming centres receiving the care and treatment they need. They are not currently available for rehoming.

A Scottish SPCA undercover special investigations unit inspector said: "We suspect these puppies are linked to prolific low-welfare puppy dealers operating in Scotland.

"In the past we have come across similar cases where puppies have been dumped as soon as they’re no longer profitable because they have have fallen ill.

"We cannot stress this enough: the supply of badly-bred puppies will only disappear if public demand stops. Every year, thousands of pups are dying at just days or weeks old to fuel the trade. We will continue to fight the puppy trade every step of the way, but we need each and every person to do their bit to help us stop it."

If anyone has concerns over the low-welfare puppy trade or information on this specific incident, it should be reported to the Scottish SPCA's confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.