Feed and water are two essential elements for keeping your dog happy and healthy.  It's important that your pet be fed and given water every day, preferably at around the same time of the day, if possible, in order to keep their digestive systems working regularly.  Because we all often lead busy lives and our schedules may sometimes produce conflicts which prevent us from keeping a set schedule for our pets, we cannot always guarantee that our dogs are going to get their food and water at the same time every day.  That was before automatic pet feeders and waterers came along.

The automatic pet feeder gives you as a dog owner or guardian the freedom of being able to always make sure that your dog has food, without having to always be there to make sure that happens.  The automatic pet feeder stores the food for you and dispenses it when need so you don't have to worry about not having your dog's food ready at a certain time throughout the day.  How does it work?  Automatic dog feeders are equipped with mechanisms that allow you to set a certain time of day during which the food will be dispersed.  When that time of the day comes, the dispenser is activated and the preset amount of food is released into the bowl.  Most come with features which allow you to decide how much food is dispensed so you're not giving your dog too much or too little food.  It's important to keep in mind how much food you want your dog to eat at one setting.  This will determine which levels you are going to set the automatic pet feeder at.  You don't want to over feed your dog as this will lead to obesity and unhealthy eating habits.  Also, it is unsafe to under feed your dog as this can lead to malnutrition and other health issues.  So really the only responsibility you have as the owner or guardian is to make sure that the automatic pet feeder is stocked with food, and to make sure the feeder stays clean.  The automatic pet feeders are designed to hold dry food only, not wet food which would be quite messy and obviously would not keep very well in a container of this type.  Automatic pet feeders come in all shapes and sizes.  If you're like me and prefer to feed your dog twice a day, there are 2 meal pet feeders which contain 2 separate bowls of food, both of which are dispensed at the time of the day that you choose.

Automatic pet waterers like the Drinkwell Pet Fountain serve essentially the same purpose as the automatic pet feeders in that they are designed to eliminate the need for you as the dog owner or guardian to be there to fill the water bowl for your dog every day or whenever the bowl is empty.  They help to keep your pet hydrated and healthy and reduces the chance of your dog experiencing health issues as a result of the lack of water.  Automatic waterers are equipped with a holding tank which is usually big enough to hold a substantial amount of water, and the water is dispensed in proportion to the amount that your dog drinks.  So there is always a full bowl of water for your dog to drink from.  When the water in the tank runs out, you simply fill it back up again and replace it on the holder, and then repeat the same steps when the supply runs out again.

One thing to remember is that as with any other dish or bowl that is being used to feed and water your dog, the automatic feeders and waterers become dirty and require cleaning.  It's important that you realize that just because they may be automatic, that doesn't mean that we can completely ignore all responsibility.  They must be kept clean in order to provide your dog with the cleanest, most sanitary source of food and water.  Many automatic pet waterers are built with filtration systems that help to keep the water healthy and free of unwanted, harmful substances so this eases some of the responsibility of keeping the water fresh and clean.

Guaranteeing that your dog always has fresh food and water will make your dog's life a lot more comfortable and having the automatic pet feeder and waterer will make your life as a dog owner or guardian a lot more enjoyable as well.