A woman who purchased puppies from a breeder is devastated after one died just nine hours after he got dropped off.

Becky Peeke, from Dartford, had to have one of her new puppies put down after vets said it showed signs of neglect and malnourishment.

After doing some research she decided to buy a Border Collie cross puppy over Facebook from a woman in Sheerness for £350 who "was lovely over the phone and in messages."

The 23-year-old said: "We did a payment plan and she couldn't have been more gracious towards me and held onto the puppies until I had money.

"She dropped the price and it really helped me because I didn't have too much money to buy a puppy."

A few days before getting her puppy, the breeder said she could have the brother for free if she wanted. She named them Ghost and Smudge. When they arrived she noticed they were underweight but thought nothing of it as they were only eight weeks old.

Becky, who is disabled and in a wheelchair, said: "Not even four hours later the puppies started getting lethargic. I thought it was just because they were nervous, which can sometimes upset their bellies.

"But then they started not being able to fully stand and were throwing up."

Becky said that her family have rescued animals since she could remember, and her mum had worked with fosterers for years.

After her mum took them to the vets, they were told that the dogs had suffered weeks of neglect and malnourishment and internal bleeding.

As a result, just nine hours after she got the puppies, Ghost was put to sleep.

When Becky contacted the breeder, they refused to take the blame and went as far as to accuse her of hurting the dogs.

Smudge's internal injuries were not as severe, and he is now in a stable condition on antibiotics.

"He likes to play with his teddy bear and have cuddles – he's still getting used to being stroked as he would cower away before but he's coming up to us now and licking us.

"He's eating better now and can keep both food and water down."

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "This sad case has been reported to us and, sadly, it's a story that we hear all too often from people who have bought puppies who have then quickly fallen seriously ill.

"While there are some wonderful breeders out there, unfortunately, there are also a lot of puppy breeders and sellers who put profits ahead of the health and welfare of their dogs, and simply want to cash in on the value of puppies.

"We'd urge anyone thinking of getting a dog to do lots of research first and to ensure they source a puppy responsibly.

"Please consider rescuing a dog from a re-homing charity, and if you want to buy a puppy, be cautious when choosing a breeder."