Turkey on Saturday arrested a man after shocking images emerged online of a puppy with all four paws amputated, state media reported.

The black puppy was found Wednesday in a forest area in the Sapanca town in Sakarya region in northwest Turkey with its paws and tail cut off, sparking outrage on social media.

Video footage showed the puppy being treated by a vet, but it could not be saved.

Turkish prosecutors have launched a “thorough investigation”.

Lutfi Dursun, chief public prosecutor in Sakarya, said a digger operator known to have been working in the region was detained, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

Sakarya governor Irfan Balkanlioglu said the circumstances of the mutilation were not yet clear.

“Our initial findings show a construction vehicle may have chopped off the dog’s paws,” he was quoted as saying in Turkish media.

He insisted the authorities would do whatever was necessary to determine if any negligence had been shown. (AFP)