Surgical Precision Meets Staying Power: Dr. Aldo Vezzoni Celebrates 5,000th Total Hip Replacement
Milestone in Veterinary Total Hip Replacement Celebrated at 2025 Movora Symposium
Aldo Vezzoni, Med. Vet. Dipl. ECVS, veterinary orthopedic surgeon at Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni of Cremona, Italy, recently performed his 5,000th veterinary total hip replacement surgery, marking a significant career milestone. Dr. Vezzoni’s patient for this landmark case on March 5th, 2025, was a 49 kg Caucasian Shepherd.
Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Dr. Vezzoni has become recognized for clinical excellence, contributions to veterinary arthroplasty, and leadership in surgical education. In addition to his clinic’s life-enhancing care for pets, Dr. Vezzoni has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and trained hundreds of surgeons in the techniques of the KYON Zurich Cementless Hip replacement system.
What started with a few cases in 1997 has grown to around 500 surgeries per year. In recent years, he has also extended this procedure to cats, but the most remarkable cat he worked with was a Malayan Tiger named Girl.
Precision, Courage and a Tiger Named Girl
Girl, a Malayan tiger from the Leipzig Zoo, in Leipzig, Germany who received a hip replacement in 2011. Performed by Dr. Aldo Vezzoni and Clinica Vezzoni team.
Photo courtesy of Clinica Vezzoni
The achievement was commemorated in multiple celebrations, from a quick pause for coffee and cake with the team at Clinica Vezzoni before the 5001st THR patient, to weekend celebrations that included KYON innovators Dr. Slobodan Tepic and Dr. Stephen Bresina, to on-stage recognition at the 2025 Movora Symposium.
5,000 Hips. One Vision.
Dr. Aldo Vezzoni stands alongside Dr. Slobodan Tepic, founder of KYON and developer of the Zurich Cementless Hip System, celebrating the completion of the 5,000th total hip replacement performed by Dr. Vezzoni.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Aldo Vezzoni
The milestone also sets a world record with Guinness World Records for the highest number of Total Hip Replacement (THR) surgeries on dogs, cats, and that famous tiger by a single surgeon during their veterinary career.
The 5,000-THR milestone isn’t just a testament to stamina—it’s a reflection of surgical excellence, commitment to continuous improvement, and thousands of families touched by the gift of restored mobility to their beloved pets.
According to Dr. Vezzoni, “My experience has shown that with the right commitment, consistency, and continuous improvement, THR can provide life-changing benefits to animals, making the effort truly worthwhile.”
The 2025 Movora Symposium focused on advances in veterinary Total Joint Replacement with 150 practitioners from 20+ countries worldwide. The event featured two days of sessions, including topical addresses, panel discussions, interactive sessions, and poster presentations. Attendees represented academic and private institutions, with a shared mission: fostering collaboration among the leaders in veterinary joint replacement to continue moving the industry forward.
For symposium attendees, Dr. Vezzoni noted, “Witnessing the transformation in my patients after THR has been one of my strongest motivators. Many dogs live with chronic arthritic pain, often unnoticed by their owners. After surgery, their behavior changes dramatically—from being apathetic to becoming playful and energetic. The gratitude of pet owners, who see their dogs regain their quality of life, has fueled my passion.”
Celebrating the Surgeon Behind 5,000 Lives Changed
View the video shared with Symposium attendees as they recognized this tremendous achievement.
