A PUPPY diagnosed with a life-threatening illness has been given a new lease of life following a fund-raising drive by kind-hearted Dundonians.

Five-year-old Dundee boy Matthew McDonald was terrified of dogs until his parents bought him his own puppy, a lhasa apso-Jack Russell cross he called Charlie.

They formed an immediate bond and soon became inseparable but when Charlie was just six weeks old, he underwent a routine check-up and vets discovered he had a hole in its heart. The McDonalds were left facing a hefty £1200 bill to pay for the operation and made a public appeal for help in meeting the costs.

Dundonians donated nearly £2000 but hopes that Charlie would make a full recovery were dashed when vets said the pup was too frail to have the operation.

They put him on a course of beta-blockers and hoped they would alleviate and control his condition.

Thankfully, several weeks later, it appears the drugs are working and Charlie has now regained his previous verve and is able to play in the back garden of the family’s home in Ambleside Gardens.

“He is doing really well and the vets are very pleased with him,” Matthew’s mum Gillian said.

The fund-raising appeal for Charlie raised £1700 and Gillian said the family would keep some of this in reserve in case Charlie’s condition deteriorates again and then give £300 each to three animal charities.