“Although auto feeders are appealing gadgets and have many great use cases, they are not substitutes for hiring a pet sitter or putting your dog in day care or boarding while you take a vacation,” Dr. While automatic feeders are extremely helpful in certain homes, they aren’t a quick fix for any and all schedule changes-especially when it comes to leaving your pet alone for extended periods of time. Fadl says: “This allows the feeder to open for one pet, but close if another pet tries to use it.” If your dog’s dietary needs are very specific (say, they eat prescription food) or you live in a home with multiple pets, an advanced feeder that dispenses food based on your pets’ microchips can simplify feeding time, Dr. Fadl points out that they can also come in handy if your dog has specific needs when it comes to portion control: “They may be very helpful in some cases, such as feeding the right amount of food for a dog that needs to maintain their weight or preventing one dog from stealing another dog’s food.” In addition to the convenience factor, Dr. Fox explains that automatic feeders tend to be popular among people who have unpredictable schedules, work late, or wake up after their pet. She adds, however, that even the less techy options will “do a relatively good job at feeding your pet.” When are automatic dog feeders useful?ĭr. “If you are tech savvy, having a dedicated app that allows you to program feeding schedules on the go, make real-time changes, and see if your pet has eaten their meal increases the effectiveness and safety of automatic feeders,” Dr. Usually, they’re designed to work only with dry food, but some are also compatible with semi-moist varieties of dog food too.Īs we mentioned above, these devices can get pretty fancy-and those bells and whistles can have some potential advantages. Depending on the model, you can customize portion sizes, timing, and frequency. Generally, automatic dog feeders dispense food on a programmed feeding schedule that you set for your pup. Here, we spoke with Carly Fox, DVM, senior veterinarian at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center-NYC, and Gabrielle Fadl, DVM, medical director of Bond Vet, to find out more about automatic feeders for dogs for pet parents who want to learn. And shopping for an automatic pet feeder doesn’t stop at what type of feeder you like-it’s also a matter of finding one that suits your furry friend, from their size to their eating habits. As is often the case with pet gadgets, not all models are created equal: Where some pet food dispensers simply deposit kibble so many times a day, others come with fancy extras like Wi-Fi connectivity, cameras, and mobile apps. When feeding your dog only the best products will do, from dog food to dog bowls-and, if you do mealtimes remotely, you’ll want the best automatic dog feeders too.

Metal automatic dog feeder