diff --git a/html/user/db.inc b/html/user/db.inc
index de1cddfb99..c5e28ae708 100644
--- a/html/user/db.inc
+++ b/html/user/db.inc
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ function db_init() {
         exit();
     }
     $db_name = parse_config("<db_name>");
-    mysql_select_db($db_name);
+    if(!mysql_select_db($db_name)) return -1;
+
+    return 0;
 }
 
 function lookup_user_auth($auth) {
diff --git a/sched/wd.php b/sched/wd.php
index 1f3aa86e0b..4414623c14 100755
--- a/sched/wd.php
+++ b/sched/wd.php
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 
 function sound_alarm($x) {
     //echo "alarm: $x\n";
-    email("davea@ssl.berkeley.edu", "BOINC problem", $x);
-    email("eheien@ssl.berkeley.edu", "BOINC problem", $x);
+    mail("davea@ssl.berkeley.edu", "BOINC problem", $x);
+    mail("eheien@ssl.berkeley.edu", "BOINC problem", $x);
 }
 
 function check_log_file($file, $last_time) {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ function check_log_file($file, $last_time) {
 
     $last_time = filemtime("watchdog_exec_time");
     if (!$last_time) {
-        alarm("foo");
+        sound_alarm("Couldn't find watchdog_exec_time");
     }
     touch("watchdog_exec_time");
 
diff --git a/sched/wd_nresults_changing.php b/sched/wd_nresults_changing.php
index c6892057ff..26fd8265ab 100755
--- a/sched/wd_nresults_changing.php
+++ b/sched/wd_nresults_changing.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 // watchdog script to ensure that the number of result records
 // increases at least every X seconds (X = crontab period)
 
+include_once("db.inc");
 include_once("util.inc");
 
 function fail($x) {
@@ -42,16 +43,14 @@ function get_count_from_db() {
 }
 
     $retval = db_init();
-    if (!$retval) {
-        fail("Can't open database");
+    if ($retval != 0) {
+        fail("Can't open database\n");
     }
     $m = get_count_from_db();
-    echo "Count: $m\n";
     if ($m == false) {
-        fail("Can't get result count from DB");
+        fail("Can't get result count from DB\n");
     }
     $n = read_count_file();
-    echo "Count: $n\n";
     if ($n == false) {
         write_count_file($m);
         exit();