Shocking footage of a man pouring boiling water over a caged dog has sparked an outrage in China.

The man, said to be an intern at a hospital's burns centre, filmed himself abusing the helpless pooch before uploading the clip on a popular messaging app as a showoff.

He was punishing his Shiba Inu, named 'Strawberry', because the pet had defecated next to his bed, according to reports.

The man, said to be an intern at a hospital's burns centre, filmed himself scalding his pet dog 'Strawberry' with a kettle filled with boiling water before uploading the video onto social media

The man, known by his surname Chen, works at the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University in eastern China's Nantong city as an intern.

He is also a master's student at the Medical School of Nantong University.

A spokesperson from the university told Chinese news outlet The Paper that the incident took place on Wednesday night in Chen's rented flat.

The spokesperson claimed that Chen wanted to punish Strawberry because the dog had soiled his bedroom.

It was said that at first Chen punished the dog by ordering it to stand by the wall.

However the dog's teeth accidentally touched Chen's hand. Fearing that Strawberry was going to bite him, Chen put it in a cage before scalding it with a kettle filled with boiling water.

He filmed the whole process before sharing the footage on Chinese app WeChat.

The intern doctor's pet, a Shiba Inu, has been handed to animal lovers to look after (file photo)

Disturbing footage shows the little dog whining in pain while being penalised.

The man also shared a clip of him flogging the dog with an iron stick.

Chen claimed that he ran cold water over the dog afterwards. He said the dog was injured, but its condition was not life-threatening.

The video drew an outpouring of criticism on social media.

Animals lovers stormed Chen's flat last night to confront the cruel pet owner. The authorities of Nantong University and police also arrived at the scene.

Strawberry has been given to the animal lovers to look after, witnessed by police officers.

Chen is described to be 'introverted'. The university spokesperson told The Paper that the student had expressed regret for his behaviour.

The university suggested Chen's parents seek medical assistance for Chen.

The student has reportedly been suspended from the university pending the progress of potential hospital treatment.