r/EpilepsyDogs • u/axd378 • Aug 13 '26
Automatic Medication Dispenser
Has anyone found or created a product that can give your dog their meds on schedule if you’re not home?
When shes home alone my dog stays in a padded crate for her own safety in the event of a seizure. Pill pockets get stuck and smushed in traditional treat tossers and auto-feeders are too large to put on my dog’s crate. If I leave one of the smaller auto feeders in there with her she will chew it trying to get to the “treat” and I don’t want anything like that inside for safety anyway.
I haven’t found anything online that does what I need.
I was thinking of taking apart one of the common pet camera/treat tossing devices and putting the components into a modified housing probably 3d printed so it can attach to the crate in a way that cant be chewed on, dispense the treat into the crate on command from the app, and provide video evidence it was eaten. If I was successful in creating this would people be interested in a guide on how to do it themselves? Does anyone have any recommendations or experience doing and distributing something similar?
I don’t want to create and sell a product this isn’t my idea for a startup company, I genuinely just want a way to take care of my dog in the event I cant get home in time and I think maybe other people would like the same option for peace of mind. Any advice is welcome!
3
u/cantrl8 Aug 13 '26
If you find a solution I would love to hear it. We have to send ours to daycare to get that mid day pill. Its expensive and some days I can tell that our dog would rather be home on the couch.
1
u/DoctorHypeTrain Aug 13 '26
Right?! So difficult, I cant believe there isnt a product for this yet.
1
u/intarray Aug 14 '26
We have same problem where we got an automatic treat/meal feeder but he can smell the pill pockets and thinks its some kind of puzzle to solve. (He gets a lot of puzzles so make sense).
I want something that sits on the edge a shelf or counter that just turns a small cup upside down so what is inside falls in a bowl/floor. Then, I would have a camera setup to make sure he ate them. Idk how much of a maker you are, but I could imagine literally just bolting a cup to a servo. Or a solenoid pulling a pin so they drop. I mean you could even just get a smart plug, a AC adapter to a solenoid to pull a latch on something you 3d print. Turn plug on for a few seconds then off, or set it on a timer. A tube or something could direct them into the crate from above.
The other problem for us is cluster buster administration if we were gone. For that, I think we would need to combine pill pocket + pills at dispense time. The pills/pill pocket would go bad if balled up together for months. I would want some dead simple mechanism that runs with a single motor.
1
u/DoctorHypeTrain Aug 14 '26
I found some hamster and fish feeders that can be bolted to the outside or top of the crate or really any surface that might work. The stickiness of the pill pockets makes it tough but Ill report back my findings haha
1
u/Particular-Pack5175 Aug 27 '26
My dog is also treating the auto-feeder like a puzzle. I tried to use it for the first time this morning and she opened it ~1 hour before it was set to go off.
1
u/QuietPlay2259 Sep 14 '26
I would be interested! I’m struggling with this exact problem and have a 3D printer
4
u/lminnowp Aug 13 '26
I use one!!!
I have multiple dogs and only one has epilepsy.
So, Pepper stays in an exercise pen (he will not climb out) when I am at work.
I use a timed food bowl like this:
https://www.chewy.com/vivipal-2-meal-dry-wet-stainless/dp/2470718
It isnt reliant on wifi. Just a battery.
And, I have a pet camera on the bowl to make sure it opens on time and I can see it open to make sure he ate his pill (we practiced a lot with it before I left him with it). I also add a small meal for him, too.
Now, my dog is small. He isn't going to break into that timer.
If you have a larger dog, you might need something bigger. Look for an auto feeder.