CaniNectar Research

CaniNectar Research: Blue Cross Rescue Dog Trial

An independent four-week observational study conducted with Blue Cross followed 25 rescue dogs across three cohorts. Assessments included stool quality, behaviour and focus, skin condition and tolerability, with 24 dogs completing the study.

CaniNectar / Enzyme Rich Malt Extract research

CaniNectar Research: Blue Cross Rescue Dog Trial

Year

2025

Study type

Independent observational field study

Sample

25 Blue Cross rescue dogs across three cohorts

Duration

4 weeks

Measured

Stool consistency, handler focus, relaxation, noise reactivity, skin condition and tolerability

The research question

CaniNectar had previously been investigated in laboratory, working-dog and professional settings.

This study provided an opportunity to examine its use in a very different population: dogs living within a rescue environment.

Twenty-five Blue Cross rescue dogs took part across three cohorts and were followed for four weeks.

The study asked a broad, practical question:

What changes, if any, would be observed in digestive measures, behaviour, skin condition and general tolerability while rescue dogs received CaniNectar over four weeks?

Because this was an observational field study rather than a randomised placebo-controlled trial, the purpose was to identify patterns worth investigating further rather than establish causation.

What did the researchers do?

Twenty-five rescue dogs took part in the Blue Cross study across three cohorts.

Dogs were followed for four weeks while receiving CaniNectar.

Assessments were repeated during the study and included several observable measures.

Digestive observations

Stool consistency was monitored, including the proportion of dogs recorded as having ideal stool consistency.

Focus and behaviour

Handlers scored measures including focus and relaxation.

Noise reactivity was also monitored.

Skin

Skin condition was assessed using a numerical score, allowing changes over the study period to be compared.

Tolerability

Completion, gastrointestinal worsening, body weight and adverse events were also recorded.

Twenty-four of the 25 dogs completed the four-week study, giving a completion rate of 96%.

What did they measure?

The study captured several different aspects of the dogs' observable health and behaviour.

Stool consistency

The proportion of dogs recorded with ideal stool consistency was compared between baseline and Week 4.

Faecal improvement

Individual dogs were also assessed for improvement in faecal quality over the course of the study.

Handler focus

Handlers scored the dogs' focus on a four-point scale.

Relaxation

The proportion of dogs scored as fully relaxed was recorded.

Noise reactivity

Changes in response to noise were monitored.

Skin condition

Skin scores were followed during the study, including the number of dogs showing a change of at least two points.

Safety and tolerability

Completion, body weight, gastrointestinal worsening and adverse events were tracked.

What was observed?

Several changes were observed over the four-week study.

Stool consistency

The proportion of dogs with ideal stool consistency increased from 41.7% at baseline to 80.0% at Week 4.

Half of the dogs were recorded as showing faecal improvement.

No dogs showed gastrointestinal worsening by Week 4.

Focus

Mean handler focus score increased from 2.67 to 3.08 on the four-point scale.

The proportion of dogs receiving the highest focus score increased from 4.2% at baseline to 20.8% at Week 4.

Relaxation and reactivity

The proportion of dogs rated fully relaxed increased from 25.0% to 37.5%.

The study also recorded a 33.3% reduction in noise reactivity.

Skin

Seven of the 24 dogs completing the study showed an improvement of at least two points in their skin assessment, representing 29.2% of completing dogs.

Tolerability

Twenty-four of 25 dogs completed the study.

No serious adverse events were recorded.

What does this study tell us?

The Blue Cross study is useful because it extends the CaniNectar evidence base into an independent rescue-dog environment.

The clearest digestive observation was the increase in dogs recorded with ideal stool consistency over the four-week period.

Changes were also observed across several behavioural measures, including handler-rated focus, relaxation and noise reactivity.

Skin scores changed meaningfully in a subset of dogs.

Importantly, the study looked at several different outcomes rather than selecting dogs for one particular presenting issue.

The results therefore provide real-world observational evidence that can sit alongside the more controlled microbiome and metabolomics work and the larger professional field trial.

They do not demonstrate that CaniNectar caused each observed change, but they identify signals that warrant further controlled investigation.

What doesn't this study tell us?

This study has important limitations.

No placebo control

The study was observational and did not include a matched placebo group. Changes over four weeks could therefore have been influenced by factors other than CaniNectar.

Small sample

Twenty-five dogs entered the study and 24 completed it. This is useful for exploratory field research but remains a relatively small population.

Rescue environment

Dogs living in a rescue environment may experience changes in routine, handling, diet, stress and social environment during the same period.

These factors can influence digestive and behavioural observations.

Multiple outcomes

A number of different measures were examined. Findings should therefore be interpreted as exploratory signals rather than confirmation of a specific clinical effect.

Observer-rated measures

Several outcomes relied on handler observations and scoring rather than blinded laboratory measurements.

For these reasons, the Blue Cross work is best viewed as independent real-world evidence that helps generate and strengthen research questions for future controlled studies.

Original research

Study details

Study

Blue Cross CaniNectar Rescue Dog Trial

Institutions

Blue Cross

Reference

Blue Cross CaniNectar Rescue Dog Trial. 2025.

Independent four-week observational study involving 25 rescue dogs across three cohorts.

Twenty-four dogs completed the study. Measures included stool consistency, faecal improvement, handler focus, relaxation, noise reactivity, skin condition, body weight and tolerability.

Study data held by Tharos Ltd.

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