A malnourished two-year-old boy has been rescued by Chilean police after he was found being breastfed by a neighbour’s dog.

A witness saw the dog, called Reina, feeding the boy on Thursday at a mechanic’s workshop in the desert port of Africa, more than 1,000 miles north of the capital, Santiago, according to police.

The boy was also suffering from a skin infection and lice infestation, according to 24Hora.cl.

Captain Diego Gajardo told The Associated Press that the child was released from hospital on Friday and is under the care of child welfare authorities.

He added that the mother of the child arrived at the hospital drunk, but that she has not been placed under arrest because there had been no physical harm to the boy.

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The country's National Service for Minors filed a complaint for neglect and the organisation’s director, Marcela Labraña, thanked the witness who found the child and informed the authorities.

Labraña called the incident “reprehensible and inhumane,” according to local media.

A family court hearing is due to take place on 22 September and will decide who cares for the child.