We Love Spirulina for Horses and Dogs

I was introduced to spirulina in 1983 when the human supplement company I worked for created a spirulina supplement. As an ingredient, Spirulina was the “new kid on the block”: a blue-green algae we called a “superfood” because of the density of nutrients it provides.

Today, spirulina is widely used in human nutrition, approved for use by Olympic athletes, and available in specialized horse and dog supplements.

Wild spirulina

History of spirulina

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that grows in alkaline lakes. The word “Spirulina” refers to the spiral structure of this unique microalgae.

The Aztecs of Mexico and Kanembous tribes of Chad were among the first cultures to utilize spirulina as a food source. The Aztecs harvested spirulina from Lake Texcoco and ate it in the form of cakes known as tecuitlatl. The Kanembous collected spirulina from lake Chad and processed it into dried patties.

The historical documents on the use of the alga in the northern hemisphere come from the conquistadors of Spain who reported a new green food, served in the form of a pie, which the Aztecs called “food of the gods.”

Since 1974, the UN has supported spirulina production, even calling it “the best food of the future.”

Nutritional benefits of spirulina

1. Protein

Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, make up 62% of spirulina. These amino acids include: aspartic acid, glutamine, serine, glycine, histidine, arginine, threonine, alanine, proline, tyrosine, valine, methionine, cysteine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophane, phenylalanine, and lysine.

The BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids: leucine, valine, and isoleucine) are an important part of the protein profile of spirulina. They’re specifically beneficial for horses and dogs because they support muscle strength and play a critical role in preventing muscle loss during recovery from injury or surgery.

2. Minerals

Spirulina provides a wide array of macro and microminerals. Because spirulina chelates minerals with its own amino acids, the minerals in spirulina are amino-acid-chelated, which makes them very bioavailable. This is different from using non-bioavailable minerals from ground-up rock (carbonates and oxides).
Minerals in spirulina include: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, selenium, zinc, and iron*

* Iron in spirulina, present as an amino acid chelate, is not the same as ferrous sulfate, an inorganic form of iron found in many supplements and feeds.

3. B vitamins

Spirulina provides an array of B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, biotin, folic acid, and inositol.

4. Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is a carotenoid found in vegetables and spirulina. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. As you probably know, vitamin A is essential for vision and eye health, the immune system, healthy skin, and the mucous membranes.

5. Enzymatic pigments

Enzymatic pigments are necessary for organisms to synthesize enzymes for metabolism. Spirulina contains three important enzymatic pigments: chlorophyll, phycocyanin, and porphyrin.

• • Chlorophyll possesses antioxidant properties against the formation of reactive species. It can modulate inflammatory mediators and helps support liver health.¹
  • Phycocyanin provides antioxidant actions against oxidative stress, particularly for neurological functions of the brain.
  • Porphyrin undergoes a series of chemical changes to produce heme, an important component of the protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells.

New research on spirulina

Neuroprotection: studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective role of spirulina on the development of the neural system, as well as on individuals with neurological and neurodegenerative conditions. Spirulina exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in the brain parenchyma.²

Gut health: Nutrition studies have demonstrated prebiotic properties of spirulina that may support a healthy microbial community in the gut.³

Protective effect on cartilage: According to a 2023 report from the Equine Science Society Symposium, a study done at the University of Guelph in Ontario showed that spirulina “had a possible protective effect on the structure of cartilage.” Currently, an in vivo study of spirulina’s role in maintaining healthy cartilage is underway.⁴

Insulin sensitivity: A 2017 study showed that spirulina improves mitochondrial function impaired by oxidative stress, and enhances insulin sensitivity in equine metabolic syndrome horses.⁵

Benefits of spirulina for horses

• Provides all the essential amino acids for horses, making it a terrific additional protein source, particularly for horses in training, senior horses, or horses in hard work.
• Supports healthy muscle and muscle recovery due to its BCAA content.
• Is a whole food source of bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and cofactors which can be especially supportive to horses on commercial feed preparations.
• Provides multiple anti-inflammatory factors, making it beneficial for horses with allergies, heaves, and in need of support for respiratory conditions including recurrent airway obstruction.
• Provides support for metabolic diseases. Just as in humans, there is a link between inflammation and metabolic diseases. Spirulina for horses can be very beneficial in managing equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).
• Can be a supplemental food therapy for horses needing neuroprotective support for conditions such as EPM.
  Provides antioxidant support for horses that are training and competing.
• Encourages diversity of microbiota in the gut.
• Is an immune supportive food.

Benefits of spirulina for dogs

A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition evaluated the immunomodulatory effect of spirulina on dogs. From the article abstract:

“Dogs fed diets supplemented with spirulina demonstrated enhanced immune status by showing significantly higher vaccine response and higher levels of fecal IgA as compared to control. Supplementing diets with Spirulina also resulted in significantly increased gut microbiota stability in the test group. In conclusion, diets supplemented with Spirulina significantly enhanced immune response and gut health in dogs.”⁶

• Provides nutritious green superfood support for dogs including bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and co-factors.
• Provides great whole food nutritional support, particularly if your dog eats kibble.
• Provides the BCAAs for muscle support and muscle recovery.
• Provides antioxidant support, helping the body reduce cellular damage from free radicals.
• Provides anti-inflammatory properties which can be helpful with respiratory challenges, allergies, and arthritis. Can be helpful for dogs with dermatitis.
• Supports the immune system.
• is important for eye health due to its beta-carotene content.
• Can help remove toxins and bind heavy metals due to its chlorophyll content.
• Supports the GI tract by providing prebiotics (fiber) to support diversity of the microbiome.

We know spirulina

While organic spirulina in human supplements has become common, the same is not true in animal supplements, including those featuring spirulina for horses. Because it grows in water, wild spirulina can be contaminated by pesticide run off, heavy metals in the water, and even petrochemical residue from motorboats.

We only purchase organic spirulina to ensure it is free of pesticide residue and does not contain high levels of heavy metals. Like many human supplement companies that use organic Spirulina, we use farm-raised spirulina, where there is greater control and prevention of contaminants.

BioStar knows spirulina. We have worked with this superfood for fifteen years. My first taste of it was actually forty years ago!

BioStar’s Optimum for horses and dogs

When we introduced our first product containing spirulina for horses, Optimum EQ bars, horse people looked at the green bars with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. Some of the horses did too. While spirulina had achieved a kind of mainstream status in human nutrition by that time, equine was a little further behind.

Gradually, as horses got used to the blue-green algae taste, and owners got used to putting green bars of Optimum in their horses’ food, we got more feedback from riders about how great their horses looked, and how much better their horses felt after being on Optimum for a month.

Then reports started to trickle in on how riders’ dogs were literally stealing Optimum bars out of the horses’ buckets! I experienced this myself, when I left some buckets soaking with alfalfa pellets and threw the Optimum bars on top. Came back to find none of them in the bucket, heard a crunch-crunch, and there was Kemosabe, dining on Optimum.

One owner reported that a raccoon had broken into her feed room, tore into the bag of Optimum, and helped himself. Thus was born Optimum K9 (with apologies to raccoons, we have not created Optimum Raccoon snacks).

BioStar’s Optimum line provides an array of spirulina-based multi-vitamin/mineral wellness formulas for your horse and dog.

Spirulina is a remarkable superfood rich in vitamins, minerals, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). It offers antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, supports gut microbiota, boosts the immune system, and promotes the health of brain and cartilage tissue, making it an excellent choice for both horses and dogs.

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10384064/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8839264/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5490612/
4. https://thehorse.com/1122425/researchers-explore-spirulina-supplementation-for-horses/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5577592/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8192834/