Drugs worth thousands of pounds have been stolen during a raid on an animal charity’s veterinary clinic.

A thief broke into the building at the Lord Whisky Animal Sanctuary, where hard-up pet owners receive discounted treatment.

A man was seen on CCTV breaking down a door to the clinic and escaping with a variety of veterinary drugs, including inoculations, antibiotics, syringes and flea treatments.

“It was almost like he had a shopping list,” said sanctuary owner Margaret Todd.

“We suspect they were stolen to order and will probably end up at puppy farms in somewhere like Ireland, or sold on the black market.”

Mrs Todd says the charity has had to order replacement drugs to ensure the clinic - which treats about 50 animals a week - can still function.

She added: “It’s heartbreaking, because as a charity we help care for pets whose owners would otherwise struggle to pay. We also have the support of some lovely vets.

“I would like to think the thief is no one who we have helped in the past, but clearly they knew what they were after.

“And they would have known we are a charity and that it would hurt us, but obviously couldn’t care less. It was a despicable thing to do.

“But I’m not sure I would have liked him to have been caught him in the act, because he appears to have removed a fire extinguisher from the wall and taken out the pin, which I can only assume he would have used to attack someone with if confronted.”

Mrs Todd says the cost to the charity, including the replacement drugs and repairs to the damage, could be considerable.

She added: “We are beefing up security as best we can. We have fitted a stronger new door and more cameras, but there is only so much we can afford.”

The charity cares for about 200 animals and costs £50,000 a month to run.

Anyone with information about the break-in should call police on 101.

For more information visit www.lordwhisky.co.uk.