This poor stray dog was forced to have 'gender reassignment' surgery after a cruel local tied a rubber band around his penis.

The aspin breed of dog was seen wandering around a temple in Lampang, northern Thailand on October 10 with a swollen member.

Concerned residents called local dog carer Angsuma Srikham who arrived to find the pooch's penis was sore and infected.

Someone had cruelly tied a rubber band tied around the end of the pooch's penis which had caused it to swell and was preventing the dog from going to the toilet properly.

Angsuma said the dog, nicknamed Dang, was in pain. She believes that a cruel resident had tied the penis as punishment for Dang urinating.

Kind-hearted Angsuma tried to cure the injured dog herself by giving him painkillers but he was in so much pain he refused to take any food or pills.

The dog lover contacted the provincial animal rescuer Tossaporn Hanprasert and asked her for help, taking Dang to the vets yesterday (24/10).

Tragically, medics said it was too late to save the dog's penis and it would need to be removed for him to stand any chance of survival.

The vet said: "I checked the dog's penis but unfortunately the tissue around the penis was already dead. It was rotten and infected. The urinary bladder could not connect anymore so we needed to cut the penis.

''Normally this operation would be called a gender reassignment surgery, because the vet has to cut the penis out and make a new hole around the place where he should pee, so it resembles a female dog.

''The operation was successful and the dog is OK but I need to watch him for at least two weeks to ensure the wound does not become infected and that the organs are functioning correctly.''

Speaking in the video, Angsuma said: ''I found him at the temple but after a week I noticed that he was in pain and refused to eat.

''I noticed his penis was swollen so I bought pain killers for him and antibiotics and fed him but he still refused to take the pills, too.''

Rescue worker Tossaporn said: ''Whoever put the rubber band on the dog's penis is very cruel. I hope that they see the pain they have caused.

''Dang is lucky to be alive because if the infection had spread further it could have affected other parts of his body.''