Automatic feeder for overweight Pug

If your vet has flagged chronic weight gain from free-feeding, that's a clear signal — and the good news is a structured automatic feeder fixes this directly. The things that actually matter here are portion accuracy, ease of cleaning, and mechanical reliability. Cheap feeders jam, dispense irregular amounts, and harbour bacteria in parts you can't reach, which is the last thing you want when you're trying to manage a dog's health properly. To point you at the right thing: is this just for your Pug, and what's the main driver — are you home most of the day but want to stop grazing, or does the dog need to be fed while you're out at work?

Good — that's a very solvable problem. Two scheduled meals at fixed times with accurate portions is exactly what an automatic feeder is designed for. Before I recommend one, a couple of quick things: roughly how much does Reggie weigh, and what food are you using — dry kibble, wet, or a mix? That matters because some feeders only work reliably with dry food.

Perfect — dry kibble makes this straightforward, and 11kg on a Pug is significant enough that portion precision really does matter. I'd recommend the PETLIBRO Granary Automatic Pet Feeder (the single-pet version). It dispenses dry food in 1/20 cup increments, so you can dial in exact amounts rather than rough guesses. You program two meals at specific times, the portion sizes are genuinely consistent, the hopper seals to keep food fresh, and the whole unit disassembles for proper washing — which matters for long-term hygiene. It's reliable mechanically, which cheaper feeders often aren't, and it's widely available on Amazon UK for around £40–50. For managing Reggie's weight on a vet's plan, you need something that actually delivers what it says it will, and this does that.

Honestly, yes — Pugs will investigate. The PETLIBRO has a locking lid on the hopper, so he won't be able to nose his way in to help himself. The dispenser opening is also small enough that a Pug can't get a snout in. That said, the feeder should be positioned somewhere stable — against a wall, not somewhere he can knock it over repeatedly. If you find he's particularly persistent and getting stressed around mealtimes, that usually settles within a week or two once he learns the schedule and trusts that food is coming. Routine itself tends to reduce food anxiety in dogs like him.

You're all set. Stick to the portions your vet recommends, keep the schedule consistent, and give it four to six weeks before your next weigh-in — that's usually enough to see a meaningful change in a dog Reggie's size. Good luck with him.