Best automatic feeder after motor failure

A motor burning out after three weeks — and your dog missing a full weekend of meals because of it — is exactly the kind of failure that leaves you feeling genuinely awful. That's not bad luck, that's a cheap motor and no redundancy. With automatic feeders, the three things that actually matter are portion accuracy, ease of cleaning, and mechanical reliability — budget feeders cut corners on all three, and the motor is usually the first thing to go. Before I point you to something properly built, can you tell me a bit more: how big is your Dalmatian, roughly how many meals a day are you scheduling, and is this primarily for weekends when you're away, or daily use while you're at work?

Completely understandable — a 25kg Dalmatian needs consistent meals, and skipping them isn't just uncomfortable for her, it can contribute to bloat risk in larger breeds if she then bolts food when you get back. The under-£20 feeders are almost universally the same internals from the same factory, and the motor simply isn't rated for sustained daily use. What I'd want to know is whether she eats dry kibble only, and does she have any tendency to try to break into food containers? Dalmatians can be persistent when they're hungry.

That combination — low-purine dry kibble, a dog who'll test the feeder physically, and a real need for it to work reliably over a full weekend unsupervised — points clearly to one product: the PETLIBRO Granary Automatic Pet Feeder (the stainless steel bowl version, available on Amazon UK). Here's why it fits your situation specifically. The motor mechanism is significantly more robust than anything in the budget tier — it's designed for continuous daily use, not occasional operation. The locking lid and weighted base make it genuinely difficult for a determined dog to tip or prise open. The stainless steel bowl matters for a Dalmatian because plastic bowls can harbour bacteria and are harder to clean properly, which becomes a hygiene issue if you're filling it for a full weekend. It programmes up to four meals a day with precise portion sizes, runs on both mains power and battery backup — so if there's a brief power cut while you're away, it still dispenses. It's around £55–65 depending on current pricing, which is the point where you're actually buying a reliable motor rather than hoping for the best. Clean the rotor and bowl once a week and it'll run consistently. That's the one I'd get in your position.

Good question, and worth checking for any feeder. The PETLIBRO Granary handles kibble up to around 15mm diameter without jamming — most standard dry dog kibble, including most prescription and breed-specific foods, falls well within that. If you want to be certain before buying, measure a few pieces of her current kibble. Anything chunky but not oversized will feed through cleanly. The rotor design is also what separates it from cheaper units — it's a proper slow-turn drum rather than a flimsy paddle wheel, which is why it doesn't jam and why the motor doesn't burn out. You'll also find the portion calibration accurate enough for a twice-daily feeding routine on a set schedule, which matters for keeping her digestion consistent while you're away.

You're welcome — search 'PETLIBRO Granary stainless steel dog feeder' on Amazon UK and it'll come up. Check it's the stainless bowl version rather than the plastic one. Set it up and run it for a few days while you're home first, just to confirm the portion sizes are right for her and she's comfortable with the sound of it dispensing. After what happened last time, that trial run before a weekend away will give you real confidence. Hope she enjoys her meals on schedule from here on.