About the author

Hi, I'm Dr. Christian K. I've been a vet for almost 30 years.

I'm a small-animal vet: dogs and cats, day in and day out. That's a lot of exam rooms, a lot of worried owners, and a lot of very good dogs and cats.

Almost 30 years of small-animal practice
4 rescue dogs

Nugget, a three-legged Chihuahua — Nugget, three legs, all heart

The pack at home

Home is my wife, our two boys and four rescue dogs. Three of the four were hit by cars before they found us. It's never quiet.

Nugget, a three-legged Chihuahua, sniffing the jalapeño plants

Nugget is a little Chihuahua with three legs. He lost one after he was hit by a car. He's the sweetest thing ever and an absolute blessing to our family. Emotionally, he's the heartbeat of our pack, and he's loved by everyone who's ever met him. When he barks, it means one thing: pick me up. He has never bitten anybody in his life.

Sugar, a black-and-tan border collie mix, grinning on the patio

Sugar is a border collie mix. She was a stray who'd been hit by a car, and her front right leg was broken. It still has several pins in it. She's very sweet, she loves to herd the kids, and she loves to be in control. She's the mama dog of the group: she watches over all the others and keeps track of everything.

Chewy, a chocolate rescue dog, resting his head on an arm

Chewbacca, Chewy for short, is the big galoot. Also a stray, also hit by a car, with a broken right back leg that's been fixed and pinned. He is the sweetest dog ever and loves everybody. He's also incredibly clumsy and incredibly goofy, which is probably how he got hit by that car in the first place. He's cute. Let's put it that way. Brains, probably not so much. He weighs 70 pounds and thinks he's a lap dog.

Roo is named after Roo from Winnie the Pooh, because she loves to bounce. She's a little Chihuahua-terrier mix with a spread of hair around her neck that makes her look like the dinosaur in Jurassic Park that splays out its neck and spits in your face. She's also a little bit psychotic. Very fearful, always has been, and not great around new people. She loves to make noise, though. She'll let you know exactly what she thinks of you.

Why I built WagNote

I built WagNote for both sides of the exam table. Owners were buried in it: a bag of pill bottles, notes on the back of a receipt, lab results from three different clinics, and a pet with more than one thing going on. And on my side of the table, I'd spend half the visit just trying to piece together what had been happening at home. So I built one place for all of it (the medicines, the reminders, the notes and the lab work) so owners can keep up without the stress, and their vet walks in with a clear picture of what's been going on.

One honest note: This is general education from a veterinarian, not advice for your pet. I haven't examined your pet, and only your own vet can. If your pet is in distress, call your vet or an emergency clinic now. Medical disclaimer.