A neglected dog, which may have recently given birth, has been found abandoned near a petrol station in Dereham.

The distressed dog had only patchy fur and a raw red inflammation on her exposed skin when she was discovered at 3am last Monday near the Esso filling station on Yaxham Road.

She was named Mo by rescue workers at the Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Frettenham, outside Norwich, where she is being nursed back to health.

John Watson, from the sanctuary, said he hoped members of the public could now help to trace the dog's owners.

'We're not 100pc sure what breed she is, ' he said. 'She is probably a cross of some sort. She looks a bit like a schnauzer but she has not got a lot of fur so it is difficult to tell.

'We take calls for animal emergencies at all hours of the day, but on this occasion it was 3am on Monday when we got a call saying someone had abandoned a dog in Dereham, near the petrol station.

'Her skin was very red and inflamed and she was extremely itchy and obviously distressed. Some of her teats were up, so we think she had just had puppies as well. Whether somebody just wanted the pups and dumped her after she had them, we don't know. It is not nice to dump a dog at all, but to do it at three o'clock in the morning while she was in that condition is particularly heartless.'

Mr Watson said the dog had been treated with antibiotics, and had been given medicated baths and some soothing balm for her skin.

'She has gone from whining and scratching herself all the time to running around the office,' he said. 'She might look a bit miserable, but she is so sweet and trusting. We can just tell that she is grateful – it may be the first time in her life that she has had this kind of attention.'

Mr Watson said anyone who knows who the dog's owners are should contact the sanctuary, which would advise the RSPCA if appropriate. He said if Mo is unable to be returned to her original home, she will be re-homed when she had fully recovered.

Do you know where Mo came from? Contact Hillside Animal Sanctuary on 01603 736200.