Dr. Defne Tezel is originally from Istanbul, Turkey. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from University College Dublin in Ireland. She previously completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She joined the Willowdale team in 2018. During the veterinary school years and while preparing for the veterinary school, she worked and volunteered at various veterinary hospitals and organizations in multiple countries around the world including Ireland, Spain, Turkey, Thailand, United States and Canada.

Dr Tezel enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine. She is also Fear Free Certified, and is committed to making veterinary visits as pleasant for her patients and their families as possible. She is especially passionate about helping her patients live their best lives and developing meaningful long-term relationship with families and their pets.

Outside work, Dr Tezel enjoys arts and crafts (especially knitting/crocheting and drawing), board games, scuba diving, volleyball and traveling. She also has a globetrotter feline named Chuck, who was lucky enough to travel the world with Dr Tezel during her adventures; he currently lives in Madrid, Spain with Dr Tezel’s parents.