Using Furosemide, Mannitol, Fenoldopam to Treat Kidney Failure

You have to be careful with furosemide, explains Karol Mathews, DVM, DVSc, DACVECC, professor emeritus of clinical studies at Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. It is not the be-all, end-all treatment, she adds.

Dr. Mathews also cautions against the use of the commonly prescribed mannitol, which she says has been shown to not be beneficial in treating kidney failure either. Lastly, Dr. Mathews says that although fenoldopam has been recommended in the past, the drug has also been shown to be of no benefit. The research is being done on healthy animals, she says, but when it is being used in a patient presenting with kidney failure there are no notable benefits.