A WORCESTER vet who mistakenly put a pet dog to sleep has taken a step back from dealing with smaller animals and handed the reigns on.

David Denny has long been the familiar face at DJB Denny veterinary practice even winning the Equine Vet of the Year award nationally in 2010.

But now his colleague Ann Robinson, who has also been with the practice for 22 years, will be taking control of the smaller animal side of the business.

Jo Fitzhugh, practice manager, said: "DJB Denny will continue to practice, he will focus on the larger animals. And Ann has taken over the practice and the smaller animals.

"Mr Denny will front the surgery, which runs 2pm until 3pm and then 5.50pm to 6.30pm, Wednesday and Thursday with Ann taking on the other days."

The move comes after Mr Denny was accused of mistakenly putting down a dog that was only at the vets for some antibiotics.

This case concerning Nick Murphy and his dog Gunner is currently being looked into by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

But Miss Fitzhugh said this was not the reason for the change.

"The wheels have been in motion on this for a while, over 12 months," she said. "It has nothing to do with the incident. That's a matter being dealt with professionally and there are two sides to every story.

"Mr Denny has built up a base with a very loyal client base. It was the 1960s when he started trading. It's always been no-nonsense, traditional veterinary care and these are the values we are taking forward.

"Not everybody can afford full frills at the vets but they still want to provide care for their animal."

The vets, in Henwick Road, is also currently undergoing a huge refurbishment and the practice want to reassure their customers it is still business as usual.

"A lot of our customers have been phoning up because we haven't got a website and with the work going on they are not sure if we are open. But it is business as usual and the new practice should be completed by February. It will be Worcester's first purpose built veterinary centre."