Meet the Doctors

Dr. Claus A. Helsted was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. After obtaining a Master of Science degree, specializing in Parasitology, from the University of Copenhagen, he achieved his childhood dream of becoming a Veterinarian, graduating from the Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 1984. After practicing in mixed and small animal practices in Denmark and England for ten years, he decided to pursue another lifelong dream of living and practicing in the Promised Land, finally settling in Rancho Cucamonga, California, as the owner of Upland Animal Hospital.

He currently holds active licenses in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut and Illinois.

In his spare time Dr. Helsted likes to spend time with his wife and two sons, not to mention his 3 dogs and 3 cats. He enjoys gardening and traveling around the Southwest which is part of the United States that has a natural beauty including wildlife and Native American Indian History that is especially dear to his heart.

Dr. Jillian Austin was born in Canada where she spent most of her younger years. As a child Dr. Austin focused her attention primarily on two things:

1.- Trying to escape the cold and
2.- Animals

Her family, although supportive, never understood either intention as she was the only one actually born in Canada (and was often referred to as the “Worst Canadian Ever”) and none of her immediate or extended family had any interest in animals. Still undiscouraged, she tried to save everything with four legs, wings, feathers or fur; she worked her way up through every position in a small animal practice. She also dabbled in wildlife rehabilitation and large animal medicine in order to expose herself to various facets of the veterinary field.

When she was old enough Dr. Austin moved down south to Alabama, escaping Canadian winters, to complete her undergraduate studies majoring in Biology and Psychology. It is here where she learned about her love of human and animal behavior. Alabama’s weather and southern charm kept her there where she studied Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University graduating in 2011. She then completed an internship and settled in at a small animal practice in Nevada for 6 years. There as Acting Chief of Staff she mentored and trained veterinary technicians, veterinary students, and newly graduated veterinarians. She hopes to continue mentoring new graduates and students as she strongly believes in giving back and the “each one, teach one” model.

In veterinary medicine, Dr. Austin embodies the importance of preventative care and client communication and education. She is compassionate and understands that our pets truly are family members. She hopes to pursue her passion for animal behavior to strengthen the human-animal bond in order to prevent discord between owners and their pets.

She recently relocated to Southern California with her husband Adam and their two rescue dogs Madea and Titan. In her free time, she has been working on the skill of cake decorating, learning Spanish, and she tries to travel as much as possible. As of today Dr. Austin has traveled to over 20 countries!

We are very excited to have Dr. Austin join the team at Upland Animal Hospital. We hope you will come to meet her!