Raised Industrial Dog Feeder Tutorial

$120
4 Hours
Easy
Let your pups eat in style with a raised dog feeder. This tutorial leads you step by step through the process with a few notes on what NOT to do! Using some old barn wood, a few stainless steel bowls, and galvanized pipe, you can easily create a one of a kind piece for the precious 4-legged family member in your life. This project is easily customized to fit the number and size of your doggie family as well as the look of your home. If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me via my blog and please leave me some comment love!
Stylish and practical - this dog feeder will help to keep the floor clear and the woodwork free from bowl damage!
The finished product from the side, showcasing the awesome barn wood and cool black pipe.
I am very lucky to have tons of barn wood that I can use for projects and this one was inspired by this lovely piece of barn wood.
It was also inspired by my dogs' constant battle to throw their dog dishes at my white woodwork.
After marking the feed bowl outline (see my blog for a BIG tip on this step), I used a hole saw to cut a starting hole and then a jigsaw to complete the hole using the outline.
I made sure to sand out any imperfections so the dog dishes would sit flush.
I have 2 large dogs and wanted a water dish in the middle with their feed bowls on the side but this could be modified to any size dog and any number of dogs. After cutting out and sanding the holes, I used a tung oil with a low sheen finish to seal the wood.
One of the biggest money saving tips I can offer for this project is to avoid the "big box" stores and shop local. I was able to find all of the necessary pipe parts at a local hardware store. I have an exact parts list available on my blog - the link is included at the end of the post.
I assembled the parts starting with the sides and then the middle part. You may need to adjust and work with the pipe to create a flush piece. Also, measuring is a key part - you want to ensure that the pipe frame is not going to interfere with the bowl holes and will sit squarely under the board.
Once the pipe is assembled, I spray painted the pipe frame with a gloss black spray paint from Valspar.
After the paint has dried, it was time to assemble the dog feeder. It was much easier to place the board, right side down, and screw the pipe assembly onto the board.
Make sure to add food for extra doggie bonus points!
Meagan {The Charming Farmer}
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Angela DiPaolo Angela DiPaolo on Jun 15, 2018

    The blog link is not working. Can you provide a list of supplies?

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  • Sharon Gehrke Wolf Sharon Gehrke Wolf on Jan 19, 2019

    Do not do this!!! I know it seems like a nice thing to do, but it can cause real possibly fatal problems. Ask your vet about doing this. It can cause a dogs stomach to flip or something like that. It can cause the same problem that Marley died from on Marley and me.

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    • Hank Hank on Apr 20, 2020

      Dogs in the wild eat from the ground level. Having a domesticated pet dog does not change the natural anatomy of the animal, so why chance it? Maybe those of you that do the raised feeder have had luck and no complications, but the scientific research is there and it shows having a raised feeder as being one of the highest percentage risk factors of GDV for large/giant breeds. Maybe talk to your vet and/or pet insurance company if you have one to get a more complete professional opinion on the matter.

  • Dec80545372 Dec80545372 on Oct 30, 2023

    Some pet owners and experts believe that elevated bowls can aid digestion by allowing dogs to eat at a more natural angle, which could help the food travel more efficiently down the digestive tract. However, more research is needed to definitively prove this claim.

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