Animal shelter offers $1,000 reward over dog who had his muzzle taped shut

Caitlyn, a 15-month old Staffordshire terrier mix, was found with her mouth bound closed with electrical tape

Caitlyn was found with her mouth bound closed with electrical tape, cuttig off the circulation to her tongue (Charelston Animal Society)

A US animal rights organisation is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for binding shut the muzzle of a stray dog with electrical tape.

The dog, a 15-month old Staffordshire terrier mix named Caitlyn, was found by a local in Charleston in South Carolina.

Her muzzle had been taped shut with black electrical tape so tightly that her tongue was stuck between her teeth. She may have remained in that state for as long as 48 hours.

When doctors removed the tape her muzzle swelled up to twice its normal size.

“A large part of her tongue may need to be removed surgically if the tissue dies from the lack of blood flow. She may be severely disfigured, or the large amount of dead tissue may cause life-threatening complications,” Dr Lucy Fuller from the Charleston Animal Society was reported in US media as saying.

The person who found her took her to the Charleston Animal Society, which is offering the reward.

If the individual responsible for taping Caitlyn's muzzle shut could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.