Boy Found Being Breastfed By Neighbour's Dog

A starving toddler has been taken into care in Chile after he was found suckling from a neighbour's dog.

Police say the two-year-old boy was found neglected and nearly naked at a mechanic's workshop.

Neighbour Lory Escudero, who lives in the city of Arica, called police on Thursday when she noticed the child being breastfed by her dog, Reina.

"We have our dog who is there and she's pregnant," she said. "The hungry boy suckled on the dog's teats for milk.

"Everyone that is here, we're all parents and if you saw what we saw from my position as a woman, as a mother, it was terrible."

The boy was taken to hospital where he was treated for malnutrition, skin infections and hair lice.

His mother attended the hospital - but was inebriated, police said.

The incident happened in an impoverished area of Arica where thousands of Peruvians and Bolivians arrive in search of work.

A family court hearing on 22 September will determine who will care for the child.