RiffRaff, Galah the cockatoo and her experience with CBD
Text: CBD Vets Australia and ICAN Vets Publishing House
Date of publication: August 10, 2023
The veterinarian, Dr. Brock Warren BVsc (Hons) of Brisbane, along with CBD Vets Australia are happy to share with us the case of RiffRaff the Galah cockatoo and his family with the use of CBD.
The following is the clinical case of RiffRaff, a Galah cockatoo (also known as pink cockatoo). Through a questionnaire, Dr. Warren details point by point the characteristics of the patient, her previous illnesses and medications, as well as the results obtained with the implementation of CBD in her treatment.
1. What is the species/breed/age of your pet patient?
Avian
Galah Cockatoo or Pink Cockatoo(Eolophus roseicapilla)
44 years + (could be older)
Unsterilized female
2. What were the signs or health conditions that your patient presented before starting CBD treatment?
- Presenting signs: "sick bird look", total 24-hour inappetence, reduced range of motion, bilateral suffocations and short gait.
- Important case summary
Clinical examination abnormalities
Reduced range of motion bilateral stifles with short pitch step
Kyphotic spine
'Air sac rubbing' on auscultation.
Large xanthomatous mass on the right thigh - suspected lipoma
Pododermatitis grade 1
Biliverdinuric stool
CBC and biochemistry performed
Inflammatory leukogram (white blood cell count 18.4 x10^9)
Severe increase in amylase - 43,220
Other parameters in normal range
X-rays performed
Hepatomegaly in RV, unable to diff. due to abnormal opacity in the coelom.
Increased soft tissue/fluid opacity density in the right lateral view of the thorax, mid-celloma
Mild polyostotic hyperostosis present
Bilateral knee osteophytosis
Healed previous fracture of right ulna
Mild gas accumulation in the intestine
Case progression
Hospitalized overnight and began to relieve pain with crop feeding No improvement in appetite or behavior with meloxicam and ranitidine only
Slightly more appetite with the addition of tramadol and metoclopramide the next day
Discharged with palliative medications, exploratory celiotomy or euthanasia refused
Comenzó con aceite de CBD de espectro completo (50 mg/ml, THC < 2 %, CBD > 98 %) a 1.5 mg/kg PO dos veces al día, es decir, 0.01 ml. El propietario aumentó la dosis a 0.02 ml
Significant previous health conditions
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed by incisional biopsy 2019
Amylase 36,000, white blood cell count 24.8. Both repeatable 4 days apart
Both returned to normal 1 year later
Excision of squamous cell carcinoma 2021 right thigh
Knee c/OA diagnosed in the first radiographs with kyphosis/synsacral fracture.
3. What medications (and dosages) was your patient prescribed before starting medical cannabis?
Meloxicam 0.2 mg/kg PO BID
Metoclopramide 1 mg/kg PO BID
Zantac (Ranitidine) 14 mg/kg PO BID
Tramadol 20 mg/kg PO BID
4. What were the treatment goals for your patient?
Adequate control of pain and nausea to improve quality of life, stabilization
5. Were any medications discontinued during or after the CBD treatment?
All medications (meloxicam, metoclopramide, zantac and tramadol) had ceased and were replaced by CBD.
6. What were the reasons for choosing CBD as a therapeutic option?
Reducing the number and frequency of medications required in the long term
The medicine was requested by the guardians
7. After starting CBD, what changes or improvements did you observe in your patient's presentation and symptoms?
Improved behavior and appetite
8. Were there any noticeable adverse effects?
None
Under what circumstances would you recommend that other veterinarians consider CBD as a potential therapy?
Based on this case, for pain +/- nausea, also to reduce the volume and frequency of multiple medications required.
There appeared to be some effect at all doses administered > 1.5, 3.1, 4.5 and 6.3 mg/kg twice daily in this case. However, at the dose of 4.5 mg/kg twice daily it appeared to alleviate the clinical signs of "sick bird appearance", quiet behavior and inappetence over the entire 24 hour period. The reduced effect at the lower doses, 1.5 mg/kg and 3.1 mg/kg twice daily, may not have been as effective because the guardian did not have a start/load period or simply because the dose was not sufficient.
I cannot be sure of a definitive diagnosis, I am not sure if the bird is currently experiencing pain/nausea from the suspected pancreatic mass, suffocating arthritis or something unrelated that has not been found: liver disease, liver neoplasia, reproductive pathology/mass.
How would you describe the support provided by CBD Vets Australia?
Excellent!
In addition to Dr. Warren's observations, we note that in psittacines, the endocannabinoid system has a variation with that of other species, since all these birds lack the CB2 receptor, which is intimately involved with the immune system and the inflammatory response, so it is mentioned that all parakeets, parrots and cockatoos would be predisposed to neuroinflammation [1,2] (Divín et al..., n.d., 2022), and thus, it is possible that the doses that these sympathetic animals will require, will be higher than in other species, n.d., 2022), and with this, it is possible that the doses of CBD that these friendly animals will require will be higher than in other species.
References
Divín, D., Goméz Samblas, M., Kuttiyarthu Veetil, N., Voukali, E., Krajzingrová, T., Těšický, M., Beneš, V., Elleder, D., Bartoš, O., & Vinkler, M. (2022a). Revealing genomic changes responsible for cannabinoid receptor loss in parrots: mechanism and functional effects. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.03.474805
Divín, D., Goméz Samblas, M., Kuttiyarthu Veetil, N., Voukali, E., Ś Widerská, Z., Krajzingrová, T., Těšický, M., Beneš, V., Elleder, D., Bartoš, O., & Vinkler, M. (2022b). Cannabinoid receptor 2 evolutionary gene loss makes parrots more susceptible to neuroinflammation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1988). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1941. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1941.
