A fabulous new addition to our diffusion blends that focus on respiratory needs. Exhale contains many oils known for strong anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties. This blend is a perfect rotation for cats with Herpes Virus issues, or any other viral conditions such as Canine Influenza.
Ingredients:
Essential Oils of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), Lemon Basil (Ocimum citriodorum), Melissa (Melissa officinalis), Copaiba (Copaifera officinalis), Cinnamon Leaf (Cinnomomum zeylanica), Frankincense (Boswellia carterii), Eucalyptus globulus
Instructions for Use:
Exhale has been created for water-based diffusion. While many of the oils and their properties may create a desire for you to apply the blend topically or even try to give them orally to an animal – we do not recommend using this blend outside of its recommendations. Stick to water-based diffusion – and harvest the benefits to support the prevention of illness, have a great smelling home, or to support a respiratory illness! We always have a goal is to have specific blends for oral use or topical use which are ideal for each animal and situation. While all of the oils within Exhale are safe for ingestion, when we select to use oils with consumption in mind, we are much more aware of particular dosing requirements. For now – we recommend that you start with diffusion of this blend – and use other blends if topical or oral applications are desired.
Cats: Always one of the more controversial species, I can assure you that Exhale has been diffused for many, many cats in my direct care. Read above in the Bird & Exotics section, on how to be mindful of introduction of a new blend to your home – but Exhale is likely to become a staple in cat homes everywhere! Little kittens with crusty eyes and severe upper respiratory infections, really benefit from diffusion – and now you can rotate use of Exhale with Open-Air for even more layers of benefit! For very young, newborn kittens – our database of use lies more strongly with Open-Air – so at this time, when a blend is “newer” to the public – I will still tend to rely on our blends with the most information behind it. So please see Open-Air first, for instructions on more aggressive tenting actions (as well as recommendations for dealing with kittens with intense respiratory crud). With any diffusion protocol – and with any blend – we always recommend starting with the easiest methods, as well as the “lowest effective dose”. If you diffuse in a room – and that is effective enough for your cat to experience some comfort from respiratory concerns – then that is all that is needed. There would be no logical reason to immediately start with tenting, unless easier exposure methods failed to gain results. For almost every cat – KittyBoost should also be used when dealing with a health condition.
Dogs: For various conditions such as Kennel Cough (Bordetella), Canine Flu, Bacterial Pneumonia, Aspiration Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Lung Cancer, Collapsing Trachea, Fungal Infections (Valley Fever (Coccidiomycosis), Blastomycosis, Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcus, Aspergillosis…), viral infections, and more – Exhale will offer support. Regular diffusion of Exhale within shelters, veterinary clinics, boarding facilities, training facilities, and anywhere that dogs will co-mingle – could help to stop the spread of contagions – along with providing a very pleasant smell for the area.
In most acute situations, caging or tenting your dog with Water-Based Diffusion may be indicated. Approximately 1 drop per 100mL of diffusion water will be added to a diffuser, and then I usually place my patient or dog into a kennel and place the diffuser directly in front of it. For most dogs, I will diffuse for at least 20 minutes – but can diffuse longer if they seem to have more comfort from longer diffusion. Either way, I monitor carefully as explained on the diffusion page. Often times, I will diffuse between 1-3 times a day. Then, while not diffusing into the kennel, I will still diffuse the Exhale or Open-Air in the general room or home for continued benefits.
Oil Information:
For far too long, we have taken essential oil blends which have been created for “human markets” – and tried to make them effective for our animal friends. Sure – a high quality essential oil can still offer benefits – but when a veterinarian puts all of the pieces of the puzzle together, with a knowledge of all of the pathology and physical aspects of what it means to have “Feline Herpes Virus”…then we can create magic! Exhale joins our animalEO line of essential oils November 23, 2018 – and it offers some new and wonderful variations in formulation, which will target a few more issues head on. When I kept finding that we were turning to diffusion of Litteroma AllCat to access diffusion of Melissa Essential Oil – I knew I had to formulate a diffusion blend perfect for the situation! (Litteroma AllCat is still SUPER to diffuse, so use it in rotation with Exhale or other blends for your needs!)
Lemongrass: Known for some of the most powerful antibacterial and anti-fungal effects, Lemongrass is amazing for all things “yuck” – whether cleansing the air, prevention of mold/fungus (in the home, in the air, or on the animal…think ringworm)…or to support severe respiratory issues like Blastomycosis, River Valley Fever, Aspergillosis, Pneumonia. Lemongrass is reported to help regeneration of connective tissue and ligaments (helpful for things like collapsing trachea), improve circulation (needed for all healing to occur), helps with fluid retention, edema, and lymph flow, and is a common oil recommended for resistant bacterial infections. It is an aggressive oil alone (and also can turn white dogs yellow!) – but within a proper blend can be used to its fullest potential!
BEE on Alert???
There is a lot written on if Lemongrass attracts bees or not. Most certainly, it is often recommended as an ingredient in bug repellent blends. So what gives? From what I could research from my Veterinary Bee Medicine texts (yes, this is actually an area of Veterinary Medicine – and an important one!) – the Nasonov Pheromone of bees contains terpenoid compounds that are found also in some essential oils! Citral and Geraniol are two of the big names…but both are found in essential oils that are reported to be “anti-bug” – so what gives? See the BEE Page – for more information (coming soon!) But for the short answer – we generally will not be diffusing outside so it is unlikely to cause a huge concern. And, hopefully your home is equipped with screens to keep stray bugs out, just in case. More importantly, the research I found supported very specific uses of synthetically derived Citral and Geraniol in specific ratios as a replacement for the Nasonov Pheromone in an attempt to attract bees to a hive. Within a blend containing Lemongrass, my theory is that the ratios of chemicals are different enough that a bee can differentiate between an essential oil blend created for purposes other than to mimic a bee pheromone.
Lemon Basil: This oil has been overlooked for sometime in Veterinary Aromatic Medicine – mostly in favor of more widely available “Sweet Basil”. Lemon Basil – is what we refer to as a Citral variety. It absolutely smells gorgeous – and Citral definitely has it’s own benefits – but Basil is often used for anti-histamine effects, anti-spasmodic, and muscle relaxing effects… Imagine if you have a spasmodic cough or tightened chest – you want relaxation! And, you also want anti-histamine actions if your respiratory issue is related to any sort of allergen type of response (or mast cells in any part of your body…) Lemon Basil itself, may have beneficial actions on insulin levels and blood glucose.
Melissa: This amazing oil is super powerful and brings a lot of properties to the table! Melissa is reported to support histamine related issues, viruses, neurologic issues, depression, grief, anxiety, itching, hives, nerve pain, shingles, seizures… and is also a “high vibrational” oil – so it supports life force, but will also enhance any sort of spiritual or energetic forces you work with! It is also a very expensive oil – so sadly it is often excluded from “home recipes” by essential oil enthusiasts. Also being expensive, Melissa oil found on the market today is often adulterated, extended, poor quality, or just plain fake! When a true Veterinary Grade Melissa oil is used – I have seen some amazing results in cases that are resistant to everything else that has been tried!
Copaiba: Not only an amazingly strong anti-inflammatory agent, Copaiba is known to be helpful for broncho-pulmonary infections. Copaiba is an important addition into any blend as all conditions contain inflammation – whether caused by cancer, bacterial pneumonia, fungal infections, physical trauma (hit by car), asthma, allergies, etc… Copaiba also seems to act as a magnifier for all other oils used – reducing the inflammation of the body – so that other oils can focus on their jobs. The reduction of inflammation is very important in all conditions, as inflammation is a stress to the body and the immune system. This stress will actually reduce the function of the immune system – creating a vicious cycle of continued disease, continued inflammation, and continued immune suppression. Stopping inflammation is key to all healing.
Cinnamon Leaf: This oil has a wonderful smell, which means we can enjoy our physical therapeutic items in scent as well as function! Cinnamon Leaf varies from Cinnamon Bark – in that it is higher in Eugenol (the main compound of Clove…) and lower in Cinnamaldehyde – reportedly making Cinnamon Leaf a bit more mild in nature than Cinnamon Bark. However, I like to just like to think of them as “different”. Each have their amazing properties – but being that the Cinnamon Leaf odor plays so nicely with all of the lemony Citral notes – it is a huge winner! Another bonus is that the topical analgesic actions that we see with Clove – can be mirrored with Cinnamon Bark. So for raspy, irritated, inflammed sinuses, trachea, or respiratory tissues – we can allow for additional comfort while still providing powerful antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral support.
Frankincense: Included especially for anti-tumoral benefits, Frankincense is also known to be anti-catarrhal (clears mucus), an expectorant, immune-stimulating, and is indicated for conditions such as bronchitis, asthma, cancers, and immune deficiencies. Frankincense also appears to act as a magnifying essential oil, which allows a more powerful effect of all oils used, even when in lower amounts.
Eucalyptus globulus: Eucalyptus oils of all varieties are often indicated for respiratory concerns. Eucalyptus in general is often found to have anti-infectious, antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-catarrhal (gets rid of excess mucus), expectorant, and anti-inflammatory actions. It is indicated for all sorts of conditions including rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal cavities), pharyngitis (inflammation of the tissues associated with the throat, vocal tissues, and oral areas associated with the respiratory tract), sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), conjunctivitis (inflammation of the delicate tissues around the eyes – which are often affected with upper respiratory conditions), and bronchitis! Whew! That’s a lot of stuff! So even with a condition such as a cough after your animal was intubated for anesthesia, or if your cat has crusty, inflammed eyes from a respiratory infection, or even if your dog barked and barked and barked while at a boarding facility – diffusion of veterinary created blends can be a huge benefit! Eucalyptus globulus is often indicated as particularly helpful for fungal issues, insects and parasites, as well as Flu conditions. Along with Open-Air, this blend will be a supreme choice to diffuse in efforts of prevention and support of Canine Influenza (Flu).