Animal welfare officers are appealing for help identifying a dog left to drown on the rocks at Cockenzie.
Scottish SPCA Inspector Emma Phillips described the death of the dog as a particularly disturbing case, after she was called to the scene yesterday.
And she said the body may have lain for days before it was discovered making it impossible to establish the age or breed of the dog.
The SSPCA were alerted to the horrific find after fishermen discovered the remains of the dog on a ledge below Cockenzie Power Station's chimneys.
Members of the public retrieved the dog's body which was taken away from the Greenhills car park by the animal welfare officer.
Witnesses described the dog as a male lurcher-type, which appeared to have a white coat.
Inspector Phillips said: "The dog had string tied around its neck which was attached to a rock.
"The person responsible would only have been able to tie the dog up at low tide which leads us to believe they may have intended to drown the dog. Where the dog was found is also relatively remote.
“Due to exposure to the water, the body was so badly decomposed we cannot identify the breed or age of the dog. We also cannot be sure how long the dog was tied up or the exact cause of death, though it is likely to have drowned.
“This is a particularly disturbing case and it seems this poor dog was subjected to a horrific death which would have caused immense distress.
“We are urging anyone with any information to contact our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
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