AN investigation is underway after an emaciated puppy was found abandoned in York.

The pug puppy had been left in a cardboard box by Moor Lane in Murton when it was found by a dog walker.

It is thought to have been left abandoned for days, and had become seriously unwell and had to be put down by vets on Wednesday night.

The staff at Tower Veterinary Group and an RSPCA inspector have spoken of their devastation at the situation the animal was left in.

Karen Colman, an RSPCA inspector, said: "I'm really horrified and shocked.

"The puppy needed treatment for a prolapse, which could have been expensive. If they had asked us we would have helped. This did not have to happen."

The RSPCA is appealing for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the Moor Lane area of Murton in the past week or may be aware of who owned the dog before it was abandoned.

The puppy was found near a popular dog walking area in a large box with a patio heater label. Inspectors believe the box could hold the key to tracing the puppy's owner.

York Press:

The puppy, believed to be about two months old, was found by dog walker Becky Calvert on Wednesday afternoon. She said she hear a whimper coming from the box and went over to investigate.

She said: "I heard the noise and looked and the little thing was there, I was devastated, It's heart breaking."

A friend took the dog to the vets where it was deemed too seriously ill to survive having been abandoned for so long.

Rachel Jamieson, a veterinary nurse at Tower Veterinary Group, said: "It was upsetting for all of us. It was upsetting anyone could do that to an animal."

She said the puppy was so emaciated it appeared it had been starved.

Anyone with information that could help the RSPCA investigaton is asked to urgently phone 0300 1234 999.