Best Automatic Dog Feeder – Review & Guide

Being a pet parent isn’t always easy in this day and age. We are always worried about our pets.  We worry about what kinds of food to feed them, time spent with them, how they spend their time alone, and if they are happy.

If you have ever left your pet for longer than a few hours, you might have wondered if they were hungry. Would it have been easier to have someone come feed your pet for you?  Would you be able to trust that person? What if your pet could feed themselves?

Many people have discovered automatic pet feeders as an excellent option. These feeders can give your pet the exact amount of food at the exact time needed. Some of these feeders offer Wi-Fi capabilities, come equipped with a built-in camera, some can dispense multiple meals at different times, and some can even allow only one particular pet entrance to the food bowl.

Automatic Dog Feeder Reviews

PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Feeder

PetSafe smart feed automatic feeder is wi-fi enabled and works with Alexa to make feeding your pet even easier.  Making your smart home even smarter by including a feeding plan for your pets.

A smartphone app is available through iPhone and android.  This app will allow you to connect with the feeder and control your pets feeding time from anywhere.  You can also get notifications straight to your phone when food is too low or when hopper is empty.

This feeder is Alexa enabled, just ask Alexa to give your pet a snack.  You can also automatically reorder your pet’s food with Amazon Dash Replenishment.

Meals can be customized to fit your pets needs.  You can program up to 12 meals on your pets feeding schedule, and if needed you can choose the Feed Now option to feed outside of the schedule.

This model features flexible portions.  Portions can range from 1/8 cup to 4 cups.  The larger portions have the option to feed slowly over 15 minutes to keep pets from eating too quickly.

Pros

• Wi-Fi enabled for easy programming
• Includes a battery power backup
• Easy to clean
• Smartphone app keeps track of food

Cons

• Must have android or iPhone to operate app
• May be hard to use for non tech savvy people

PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Feeder

The Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Feeder by PetSafe can hold up to 24 cups of food and dispense 12 meals total.  This programmable feeder will allow for small meals to control portion size or full meals to care for your pet while you are gone.

This feeder features a transparent lid so it is easy to see when it is time for a refill.  The food kept in the compartment helps it stay fresh, while keeping the food safe from pets who would try to steal some.

The meal portions can vary from 1/8 of a cup to 4 cups.  This flexibility allows multiple smaller meals to control your pet from eating too fast and causing an upset stomach.

The automatic feeder is easy to clean.  The food compartment has BPA-free plastic components, comes with a stainless-steel bowl, and is top-rack dishwasher safe.

This model runs on 4 D-cell alkaline batteries, making it perfect for any power-outages, but a plug-in adapter is available for purchase separately.

Pros

• You can conveniently schedule up to 12 meals for your pet.
• It is dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.
• The meal portions can vary from 1/8 cup to 4 cups.
• Can hold up to 24 cups of food.

Cons

• Runs on large batteries.
• Power cord is available for purchase separately
• Better suited for one pet 

DOGNESS Automatic Wi-Fi Smart Camera Feeder

DOGNESS automatic Wi-Fi smart camera feeder features a large capacity hopper of 6.5 lbs.  DOGNESS has manufactured this feeder to work with a smartphone app available with iPhone or android devices.  This smart feeder has a built-in camera with 2-way audio to allow interaction with your pet during feeding times when you are away.

The Smart Feeder app is a simple way to set scheduled feedings and portion control for your pets.  Portions are listed in grams to make meal time more precise.

This feeder is enabled with 2.4G Wi-Fi capabilities and the built-in camera allows you to check in on your pets any time of the day.  You can view your pet enjoy their meal and have the piece of mind they are taken care of.

This feeder comes with a 9ft power cord and is dual powered.  In case of a power failure, the device will automatically transfer to battery power.  Ensuring your pet is fed even during disaster.

The large capacity hopper can hold up to 6.5lbs of dry food.  This amount is perfect for multiple feedings, ideal for busy pet owners.

Pros

• Camera and 2-way audio make interaction easy
• Wi-Fi enabled app makes set up easy
• Dual power supply
• Precise portion control

Cons

• No way to know how low food is getting
• 5G not supported

SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder

SureFeed microchip pet feeder is great for pets on prescription diets or multi-species households.  This feeder uses your pet’s microchip to allow entrance to the food bowl.  The bowl will only open to the pet whose microchip matches that particular bowl.

The feeder features a sliding door that covers the food bowl.  This door is activated by a specific pet and will only open when that pet is close by.  Any other pets who would like to steal that food will be denied access.

The bowl capacity is 13.5 oz of dry or wet food.  The wet food is kept fresh longer with the door creating a seal, keeping the moisture inside.

This feeder is ideal for homes with pets on different diets.  Each individual pet should get their own bowl and thus only have access to their own diet.

This pet feeder is an excellent way to save money.  You control your pet’s meal portions, only putting enough food in the bowl as needed.  You will not have to worry about your pets stealing each other’s food and over eating.

Pros

• Perfect for pets with prescription diets
• Saves money in cost of food
• Keeps wet food fresh longer
• Avoids over eating

Cons

• One feeder needed per pet
• Each pet needs a microchip or RFID collar tag to work

WOPET Automatic Pet Feeder

Automatic pet feeder by WOPET allows up to 4 feedings a day making a quick weekend away stress free.  Holding up to 20 cups of food, your pet won’t go hungry even in a power outage.

The programmable timer allows up to 4 feedings per day.  You can program this feeder to dispense 2 tablespoons up to 4.5 cups of food per feeding, allowing you control over portion size.

The feeder has a voice recording feature that allows you to record a personal message for your pet for meal time.  Keeping you involved in feeding time even when you are away.

This model features a removable food compartment and tray.  Both are dishwasher safe making clean up easy.

The food dispenser is equipped with infrared detection technology to prevent spillage and pellets being stuck in hole.  Keeping the dispenser in proper working order.

Pros

• Can hold up to 20 cups of food
• Voice recorder keeps you involved in meal time
• Easy to program timer allows up to 4 meals per day
• If power outage occurs feeder will switch to battery power

Cons

• Takes large batteries
• Making a new recording can prove to be difficult

BELOPEZZ 6 Liters Smart Pet Automatic Feeder

BELOPEZZ Smart Pet Automatic Feeder features a programmable timer to feed your pets up to 4 times per day.  Make your pets feeding schedule hassle free and avoid your pet overeating.

This feeder’s capacity is about 6.5lbs of food, making this feeder suitable for many different sizes of dogs or cats.  The dispenser has two meal sizes, either small or large.  Up to 4 meals can be set to different times and each with different quantities.

Voice recording is available for up to 10 seconds and is played during feeding.  This keeps you involved in meal time with your pet.

This feeder features a dual power supply, during a power outage the feeder will switch to battery power.   This device can last up to 2 years on the battery supply, giving you peace of mind.

To avoid overeating, the feeder has automatic detection of food in the tray.  If your pet has food left over, the machine will detect it and not release any more food.

Pros

• Voice recording makes meal time personal for your pet
• Automatic detection of food to avoid spillage
• Dual power supply

Cons

• Only 2 portion sizes
• Requires large batteries for dual power supply

Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder

Arf Pets Automatic Pet Feeder makes feeding hassle free allowing multiple portions per meal and up to 4 meals per day.  The voice recording feature allows for a personal meal call up to 10 seconds per meal.

The feeder features a blue light-up LCD display, that provides adjustable settings, and a magnetic lid.  The lid keeps pets from stealing any food in the compartment.

The dispenser will dispense 1-10 portions per meal.  Each portion is 24ml, making portion control simple.

Meal calls become personal with the voice recording feature.  Your pets will hear you call them to the bowl so you are still involved in feeding time.

Arf pets have made this feeder versatile in its power source.  It can run on 3 D batteries or be plugged in to a power outlet.

Pros

• Meal call is personal with voice recording
• Multiple power supply options
• Customizable meal portions

Cons

• 24ml sized portions may be too small
• Only holds 1.14 gal of food at one time

Aspen Pet LeBistro Programmable Food Dispenser

Aspen Pet Lebistro Programmable Food Dispenser is ideal for busy pet owners.  This model features an automatic refillable bowl, and a twist top lid to keep food fresh.  Available in 18 cup and 30 cup capacity.

This food dispenser comes with a removable bowl for easy cleaning.  The bowl is top rack dishwasher safe and the bowl base can detach from the hopper for convenient hand washing.

The automatic feeder features a large LCD screen that is easy to set portion sizes and schedule meal times.  The hopper will automatically refill the bowl at the scheduled meal time.

Aspen Pet offers the dispenser in an 18 cup and 30 cup capacity to serve different pet owners and their preferences.  Food is stored in a clear hopper to easily keep track of food levels.

You will be in control of your pet’s portion sizes with this feeder.  The feeder offers portion sizes from 1/4 cup to 3 cups, and will dispense up to 3 meals per day.

Pros

• Large capacity hopper
• Easy to program
• Easy to clean
• Twist lid keeps food fresh

Cons

• Only runs on batteries
• Poor quality 

JOYTOOL Automatic Dog Food Dispenser

JOYTOOL Automatic Dog Food Dispenser features a programmable voice recorder and a timer for up to 4 meals.  You control the portion size and amount of meals per day.  This helps your pet develop better eating habits.

This dispenser allows you to set the amount of food and the time the food is dispensed.  Your pet will develop a better eating schedule, and over time learn not to over eat.

This pet feeder features infrared detection technology to ensure the machine automatically stops when there is a certain amount in the bowl.   This prevents spillage or getting stuck in dispenser.

The voice recorder allows you to record several seconds of your voice calling them for a meal.  This helps your pet feel less lonely and helps you be more involved in meal time.

JOYTOOL has created a helpful tool for feeding pets.  This auto pet feeder can feed your pet for up to 5 days.  You can leave your pets with the piece of mind that they will be hearing your voice and never missing a meal.

Pros

• Voice recording keeps you involved in meal time
• Accurate portion control
• Holds up to 2.5 lbs. of dry food
• Able to feed for up to 5 days

Cons

• Better suited for small or medium sized pets
• Poor construction

PetSafe 5 Meal Pet Feeder

PetSafe 5 meal pet feeder is great for small to medium dogs.  This feeder is minimal in design and best suited to an owner who just wants to set it and forget it.

This feeder has a 5-section feeding tray that holds up to 1 cup in each section.  The tray is removable and dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.

Keep your pet on a perfect feeding schedule with this feeder.  The timer is set the first time all you have to do is re-fill the food.  Your pet will learn the schedule and begin to enjoy the routine that is always on time.

Portion control is easy just separate meals into multiple sections and set the timer to feed up to 5 times in one day.  Or if you like your pet to free feed you can put one meal in each section and set the timer to feed just once a day.

Customer service is US based, available Monday through Saturday over phone.  Questions are easily answered in a timely manner.

Pros

• Minimal design
• Easy to clean
• Easy to use

Cons

• Not suitable for large dogs
• Runs on 4 D batteries

Types of automatic feeders

Gravity feeders: These tend to have a larger capacity to hold more food, but will only allow certain amounts of food up to 3-5 times per day.  These feeders are great for busy people who just don’t have the time to fill the bowl every time or want to spend less time filling their pet’s bowl.

Simple feeders: These feeders are designed to release one day’s worth of food at a time.  They can hold anywhere from 2-5 days of food.  They can be adapted to release one full meal over the course of the day, and they will require re-filling each day.

High-end: I am calling the High-end feeders the ones with the premium features that give you the piece of mind when you have to be away more than you’d like.  These feeders can come with a dual power source, to ensure your pet gets fed even during a power failure.  The food reservoir of these feeders can vary and you want one that is big enough to suit your pet’s needs.  Other options of these feeders would include ease of programming, or portion size.  If you are away frequently you may want to consider a feeder with Wi-Fi capabilities and if you would like video and audio options to be able to interact with your pet during the day.

How to select an automatic feeder?

Your pet’s needs:  As always, your pet comes first.  If your pet has a special diet, or needs to go on a diet, you may want to take this into consideration when selecting a feeder.  Having multiple pets can also make your choices vary.  Lastly you want to figure out how much food your pet would need the feeder to hold for as long as you may use it for.

Your needs:  Keep in mind how often you would want to fill the feeder.  If you would prefer to fill it every day, you may not want a feeder that has a large capacity.  If you are not very tech savvy you may want to stick to the feeders that have less features, to make feeding simpler.

Reviews: One great way to know you are getting a great feeder would be to look at reviews of the products that fit your needs.  Take into consideration good or bad reviews and the amount of each.  Make sure to look at dates posted of the reviews as well.  If they are posted over a year ago the company could have updated or changed some things.

Warranty:  One factor in selecting a feeder you should think about would be the warranty.  A manufacture warranty can cover any device defects that could occur at any time.  If a feeder comes with a warranty of a year or more you should put that into a pro list.  And compare it to other feeders that are similar.

FAQs on automatic feeders

Power source:  Many feeders are battery only powered.  You want to know the size of battery needed and about how long the feeder would last on those batteries.  Other feeders are plug in only.  You would want to know if those feeders have a back up power source if a power failure should occur.

Portion size: Many people ask about portion size on the feeder.  This is important because large dogs need a much larger portion size than a very small dog or cat.

Kibble size:  You want to know if your feeder has a limitation on the size of kibble it can dispense.  It would be a good idea to get a measurement of the kibbles you normally use and see if they would work well in the feeder you are interested in.

Tech specifications:  With all the new technology in feeders you have to make sure if you select one with Wi-Fi capabilities that it will work on your home network.  Some will only work on 2.5G network.  Some require smartphone apps and those all have their own specifications with which phone devices they will work with.

Feeding multiple pets:  If you have more than one pet that will use the automatic feeder, you may want to look into a feeder that can hold 2 separate bowls.  Many of the newer feeders will have the option of purchasing an adapter to dispense into 2 bowls.  Or if your pets are on specific diets you may want to look into feeders that are best suited for feeding pets separately.

Advantages of having an automatic feeder

Piece of mind:  if you are away from your pets often, you worry and feel guilt that they are alone and may end up hungry waiting on you to return home.  Having an automatic feeder would take some worry and guilt away by making sure they are fed.  Selecting a feeder with a voice recorder or camera can also give you some security knowing they don’t feel alone or give you the ability to visually see they are taken care of.

Time saving:  we all seem to never have enough time these days, filling the food bowl over and over can become a mundane chore.  Having an automatic feeder can save you the time of going to the bowl each meal time.

Money saving:  Many of the automatic feeders offer portion control.  This helps keep your pet from over eating.  Less eating means less food you have to buy.  Then we have the feeders that are designed to feed one specific pet.  These are great for pets with special diets.  Say the special diet food gets stolen by another pet in the house, then you are out more money to make sure the right pet gets the right food.  This can also apply to a cat eating its own food and keeping the dog from eating its own weight in cat food.

As a busy pet owner, you need an automatic feeder.  Everyone would love to save time and money without having the guilt of being a bad pet parent.

Food is the most basic need a pet has.  We show our pets love with treats and keeping their bellies full.  Sometimes we just can’t be there to feed them at the same time every day.

Animals do best on a routine.  If they get fed at the same time every day, they don’t feel like each meal could be their last.

Domesticated dogs and cats are of the most obese pets in the US.  Just like humans, obesity leads to all kinds of other health concerns.  We only get a limited amount of time with our precious fur babies, why not extend their lives as much as possible by keeping them as healthy as possible?

Over eating is the major reason our pets are so obese.  If our pets think it may be their last meal, they are more likely to over eat.  Once they get on a routine, they realize that the food will come out just like it did the day before and the day before that.  They will be less likely to scarf it all down as quickly as possible and just eat enough to satisfy their hunger.

If you have purchased an automatic feeder, please comment and let us know your experience with it.  If you still have questions or would like to know more information on any certain product, feel free to let us know.