The boxer that was sealed in a garbage bag and thrown into a skip looked healthy and did not seem to have any underlying illness, according to the vet who attempted to save the dog.

Dr Trevor Zammit said an autopsy had not been performed; however, the dog seemed to be well treated and looked reasonably healthy.

A Rural Affairs Ministry spokesman said forensic police investigating the case had not yet ordered an autopsy.

He said there were no obvious clues that indicated the female boxer, thought to be four years old, was mistreated, making it difficult to understand why the dog was dumped in such a callous way.

The boxer, which was severely dehydrated and running a fever, died shortly after being rescued from a skip on Friday, despite attempts to save it by the team at the San Franġisk animal centre at Ta’ Qali.

The dog had been sealed in a black plastic bag, and buried beneath mounds of rubbish in a skip in Kalkara. Dione Galea, who helped drag the dog out, said the boxer was gasping for air and foaming at the mouth when he tore open the bag. It looked weak and was barely moving.

Animal welfare coordinator Janice Chetcuti also said the boxer did not seem to have been mistreated or sick and confirmed her fur seemed to be in good condition overall. She also dismissed the rumour that the boxer had been used in dog fights, insisting this was “highly unlikely”.

“The poor dog had such a painful expression of fear in her eyes. I sincerely hope we can track down its owner. Somehow, I’m confident we will,” Ms Chetcuti said.

The dog was wearing an unusual red collar with small bells around it, but it was not microchipped, making it doubly hard for police to trace the dog’s owner.

The collar has been sent for forensic tests, and Ms Chetcuti is hopeful they will receive some helpful tip-off from anybody who had seen the dog before.

Ms Chetcuti echoed the ministry’s appeal for dog owners to microchip their pets by next June; the deadline when all dogs have to be legally chipped.

She said so far, 5,500 had been microchipped, but it is estimated that there are some 100,000 dogs in all that have to undergo this procedure.

The Animal Rights’ Coalition condemned the act and urged anyone who witnessed any form of abuse on animals to speak up.

The boxer’s death comes barely five months after another dog, Star, was found buried in a shallow grave. It had been shot once at point blank range and its muzzle, front and hind paws were bound. The police eventually tracked down the offender, Alfred Vella, a 44-year-old farmer Birżebbuġa. He had told police he believed the dog was already dead when he buried it. He said he never meant totorture the dog and that his intention was to put it down because of its age.