A feeding and weight resistance apparatus for an animal that includes a platform configured to move in response to lifting force exerted by the animal onto the platform; a food repository configured to store food; and a feeding interface. The feeding interface may be configured to: impair food to be dispensed in response to retrieval force exerted by the animal, and regulate food dispensed from the food repository for a predetermined duration in response to the lifting force exerted by the animal toward the platform. A method of feeding and applying weight resistance for an animal. A method of diagnosing or evaluating an animal using the feeding and weight lifting apparatus and method for the study and application in the field of biomedicine, including but not limited thereto, the field of exercise physiology.

A feeder for a domestic pet has a container for holding pet food, a housing, and a cover having a closed position to prevent access to pet food in the container and an open position. The housing has an open front, a base, respective left and right sidewalls and a rear wall coupled to the base and to the sidewalls. The container is located in the base. The rear wall extends upwardly from the base and forwardly to provide a roof for the housing and terminates in a forward edge at the open front. The open front is bounded by the forward edge of the roof, forward edges of the sidewalls, and a line joining bottoms of the forward edges of the sidewalls. This line is parallel to the forward edge of the roof but forwardly thereof. The sidewalls have intermediate portions thereof located at positions between the forward edge of the roof and the said line. These intermediate portions extend more forwardly than a plane containing the forward edge of the roof and the said line. An RFID aerial is provided to detect the presence of an authorised RFID chip in a pet approaching the open front. The RFID aerial extends across the side walls and the roof at positions adjacent the forward edges of the side walls and of the roof. The cover is coupled to an electric motor operable when the RFID aerial detects the presence of an authorised RFID chip for movement of the cover from its closed to its open position.

A system and method for recommending and providing food to an animal which includes a computer and server system usable in conjunction with a feeder and a collar. The computer system being configured to receive input data from the following sources: food consumption information associated with an animal; activity information associated with the animal; profile data associated with the animal; environmental data associated with the animal; an animal profile database; an animal feed database. The system and methods then utilize data input so as to compares profile data associated with the animal to the animal profile database to determine an initial baseline for a given animal, and then compares food consumption information or activity information with the animal feed database so as to determine a type and quantity of food to be fed to the animal, as selected from the animal feed database.

A pet monitoring and feeding system including having a dispenser, the dispenser having: a main body; a bowl provided about a base portion of the main body; a cavity configured to selectively receive the bowl; one or more dispenser sensors being configured to provide proximity data regarding environmental or pet parameters about the dispenser; and one or more food receptacles. The system further including a wireless transponder that could worn as a pendant or incorporated into a collar having one or more collar sensors that is configured to interact with the one or more sensors of the dispenser and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry being configured to receive sensor data from both the dispenser sensors and the collar sensors, the processing circuitry being configured to determine an appropriate portion size of a particular food being contained in the one or more food receptacles and activate the dispenser so as to dispense a selectively measured portion of the particular food.

A hood, shield, plate or other blocking device, which, when attached, or build directly on, to large animal feeders allows only the intended large sized animals access to the contents within the outlets of the feeder is disclosed. By closing under the weight of the any animal when they attempt to hang, climb, or sit on the outlet of the feeder, the invention disclosed restricts the access of any animal that is too short to reach the contents in feeder's outlet(s) without the use of the feeder supporting their weight in some manner.

A casino mentality hog trap assembly is built into a trailer having a frame supported by a plurality of wheels, a hitch for attaching to a towing vehicle, and a platform. A hinged trap floor is located in the platform and is moveable between a horizontal closed position and a downwardly inclined open position for causing animals to fall into a holding pen. A plurality of feeder stations are positioned adjacent to the trap floor. The feeder stations each have feeder lids that can be raised by animals to access feed contained in feeder troughs. A trigger mechanism is arranged to be tripped when two of the feeder lids are raised at the same time. A scent roller is also positioned adjacent to the trap floor and is connected to the trigger mechanism by a linkage that causes the trigger mechanism to be tripped when the scent roller is lifted.

The disclosure is directed to a feeding system. The feeding system includes a housing that substantially forms an exterior surface of the feeding system, inside the housing includes an arm configured to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise to a plurality of positions, wherein the arm is configured to support a can; a can opener at a first position of the plurality of positions; and an opening of the housing at a second position of the plurality of positions. A sealed-can barrel is situated to receive and store a stack of sealed cans within the housing, and a cam-operated latch device is provided to release a bottommost can of the stack onto the arm. In timed operations, a cam-operated retainer device is configured to hold a plurality of sealed cans of the stack above the bottommost sealed can while the bottommost sealed can is being released onto the arm.

A feed chute for dispensing to a first kind of animal but rejecting a larger muzzle and tongue of a second kind of animal. A gate is hinged to a first shorter side wall such that the gate forms one side of a dispenser end of the chute when the gate is fully-open, sufficiently large to accommodate a muzzle of the first kind of animal. The gate detente determines a closed position of the dispenser end. When the second kind of animal attempts to access the feed, its wider muzzle urges the gate towards the fully-closed position, which is sufficiently small to prevent entry of the second kind's muzzle and tongue.

A feral hog feeder assembly includes a housing having an opening therein and a door closing the opening. A hopper positioned within the housing is in communication with a receiver that retains food material from the hopper. A food release is mounted to the housing and is in communication with the hopper. The food release is movable to an open condition placing the hopper in an open position or in a closed condition placing the hopper in a closed position. The food release includes a floor pan for walking upon by an animal and which extends through the opening. A stop attached to the food release apparatus and engages the door when the food release is in the opened condition and disengages from the door when the food release is in the closed condition. A plurality of spacers on the floor pan prevents access to the housing by non-hoofed animals.

A selective access system, and methods of making and using such a selective access system, whereby the selective access system includes a container including an interior space defined by a side wall disposed between opposing top and bottom walls; an opening disposed within the side wall, the opening communicating with the interior space; a cover slidably engaged with the container, the cover configured to slide upward and downward between a first position and a second position; whereby in the first position, the cover overlays the opening; and whereby in the second position, the cover disposes away from at least a portion of the opening to permit access to the interior space; and a force generator coupled to the cover, the force generator generating a pre-selected force amount which when unopposed, provides the first position of the cover.