A TERRIFIED dog was found cold and starving after she was chained to railings on a Glasgow street and abandoned by her owners.

The German Shepherd was left overnight outside a city vet practice in freezing temperatures on a short lead - which meant she couldn’t move or lie down.

The skin on her neck had been rubbed raw because of a tight harness.

Vets say the dog - who is seriously ill - was scared, hungry and dehydrated.

And an examination showed she had been neglected in the weeks before being dumped.

The dog - said to be around three to five-years-old - was found near to the Ashley Vet Centre in Anniesland Road.

After treatment she was taken to Clydebank Police Station and is now in the care of the Scottish SPCA at their rehoming centre in Cardonald.

They have named her Lucy and say she is “very poorly”.

Vet Rachael Krieger from the Ashley Vet Practice said: “We were absolutely horrified that someone would leave a dog at all, but to tie her to a railing so that she is unable to move is so cruel.

“When I examined the dog I found her to be underweight with an untreated skin condition.

“She was very thirsty and drank several bowls of water, she was dehydrated and had clearly been neglected.

“We suspect she was left outside all night without anything to eat or drink.

“It was really upsetting for everyone at the practice - she was a sweet and friendly dog but she was very scared.”

This is not the first time a pet has been abandoned near the centre - a cat in a box was dumped recently - leading staff to believe the dog was left there on purpose.

Ms Krieger added: “We are glad that we were able to find this dog and help her but there is never an excuse for abandoning an animal in this way.

“People can contact the Dog’s Trust the Scottish SPCA or even go to a police station.”

The dog was scanned for a microchip but she did not have one so her owners have not been traced.

Doranne Ashley, the owner of the vet centre, said: “This is a shocking story.

“It is difficult to understand why anyone would do this.

“It is a reminder of how important it is to microchip our dogs and hopefully the new microchipping legislation will help stop this happening in the future.”

The dog, who was discovered on Wednesday morning, is under the close watch of vets at the Scottish SPCA centre.

A spokeswoman from the Scottish SPCA said: “Our vets are keeping a close eye on Lucy - she is very poorly indeed.”