ANIMAL lovers took a poorly Brierley Hill puppy into their hearts and donated more than £2,000 to fund life-changing surgery.

Spot the Staffordshire bull terrier was born with a deformed hip, which affected his back legs and left him unable to walk properly.

X-rays showed that one of Spot's knee caps was on the wrong side and his muscles were growing in the wrong places, leaving little support for his bones, which were not growing at the same speed as his others.

His owner, Maz Page of Leys Crescent, was told surgery to remove the leg would cost £2,000, which the mum-of-two was struggling to find, despite holding down four jobs.

She was given the option of euthanasia but refused to give up on her pet and started a fundraising campaign on Facebook.

The page, 'Supporting spot to walk forever' attracted hundreds of likes and donations soon came flooding in from generous well-wishers wanting to help Spot.

Spot's operation was due to take place later this month but was brought forward when the 18-week-old pup's condition began to deteriorate.

He was taken to West Midlands Referrals in Lichfield for surgery on Wednesday (February 4) but shortly afterwards, Maz received a call from the vet to say he thought there was a chance to save Spot's leg.

She said: "He thought it was worth trying now he was looking at it. He said if he was wrong and it does need to be amputated he would do it for free - that’s how confident he was."

The vet was able to turn the pup's kneecap around, cut away excess muscle mass and place pins and plates in his leg to keep everything in place.

Maz said it is now a waiting game to see if the surgery was successful and if so, the brave canine would be able to have further hydrotherapy to strengthen his leg.

She said: "He's been through so much for his age but so far he seems to be walking a lot better."

Spot was feeling well enough to briefly attend a fundraising disco held in his honour at Quarry Bank Labour Club on Friday (February 6), which was attended by 130 people and pulled in £511.

Maz said her family were grateful for every penny donated towards his treatment and said: "We wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone's help. There are some lovely people out there."

To follow Spot's progress, visit www.facebook.com/Supportspot.