The search is underway for a dog seen running across a highway with what looks like its mouth taped shut.
Drivers on the Cunningham Highway near Ipswich, Queensland, immediately called the RSPCA to report the animal.
RSPCA Queensland spokesperson Michael Beatty described the dog as a German Shepherd mix, likely in very poor health.
The RSPCA is calling on the urgent help of the community to save the dog before it dies of thirst or hunger.
‘The main thing we want to do is find the dog and get the tape off its muzzle,’ he said.
‘Hopefully it can make a full recovery but the longer this goes on the harder that will be.’
If the animal’s owners are identified it is likely they will face charges of animal cruelty.