A cocker spaniel and its litter of puppies died after the heavily pregnant mum was dumped in a box and abandoned in west Norfolk.

The search is on for the owner of the spaniel, which died from sepsis after giving birth.

Terrington Veterinary Centre, in Terrington St Clement, near King’s Lynn, put out a “heart breaking” post on Saturday after the dog was brought into the surgery after it had been found abandoned.

The dog had tried to give birth but, the vets’ said it “got into difficulty” and the puppies died as a result.

Despite the vet’s efforts to save her, the cocker spaniel died from sepsis.

On Facebook the veterinary centre wrote: “We have had a cocker spaniel brought in to us that was dumped in a box in a garden nearby.

“Unfortunately, she was heavily pregnant and had tried to give birth and got into difficulty and subsequently the puppies died.

“She was so poorly with sepsis unfortunately we couldn’t save her.

“If anyone has any information of who has done this to her please let us know so that we can pass this on to the RSPCA.”

Helen Jermy, area coordinator for Dog Lost in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, the UK’s largest lost and found dog service, shared the post on local lost and found pages on Facebook.

She said: “It’s a difficult one, which is why we want to find the owners so we can find out if she had been stolen or if it is was the actual owner who dumped her.

“If the owner is found there could be a prosecution. But the chances are it is a stolen dog, which does happen a lot, sadly.

“What that little dog has gone through, and at the end, is absolutely heartbreaking. If you’re an animal lover, to hear something like that is really upsetting.”

The black-and-white cocker spaniel is believed to have been around 10 years old and was found in the Terrington St Clement area.

Anyone with information should contact Terrington Veterinary Centre or call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.