Slippery Elm and IBD

Just wanted to report that I finally tried slippery elm because my ibd kitty was looking like he was in pain again (eating hunched up and hair standing up on spine), this website had a lot of info.:

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#seb_capsules

Anyway, I tried increasing the pred a little, no improvement, lowered dose back down (he only gets half a tablet) and then tried the slippery elm.

Improvement was almost immediate.  The great thing is I can pet him robustly again.  For a long time he would his move his body away from my hand instead of pushing back up against it when I went to pet him.  Then suddenly I realized he wasn't moving away.   

My question still is - why am I not getting this info. from my vet.  Everything that has made him better has come from doing internet research. 

It really depends on the vet how up to speed they are on alternative treatments.  I found with the original vet that diagnosed Patch's IBD and treated him for 4 years before moving to another state that she did know about a lot of alternative treatments.  The only one that she brought up to me was the SAM-e and milk thistle when he was recovering from fatty liver, that one I think has moved into conventional treatments.  I would bring up alternatives to her, she knew about them and would give me a yes or no opinion on them.  Most of the time she was okay with them.

I think even vets that know about alternative treatments are uncomfortable bringing them up and recommending them.

I know some vets (like doctors) are very close minded to hearing anything from their clients, especially the notorious "what I learned on the internet". They know what they were taught in school and that is that. Can't say I blame them for being very wary of information their clients bring, after all, there is an amazing amount of craptacular disinformation online! People tend to look for quick answers and let's face it, most of us aren't really equipped to plow through all the information and gather meaningful facts and interpret data correctly. Doctors have a lot of training.
My issue is when they refuse to listen and just dismiss your question out of hand. I have a lovely vet who took the time to explain about lysine and lactoferrin last time we were there. I really appreciated her input and you can tell she wants her clients to be well informed.
If vets keep up with the new studies and keep an open mind to new possibilities, then that's great. They do have an obligation to be cautious though.

As to the slippery elm, we have a lot of members here who have had great success with it. I'm glad it's working for you, and I hope he continues to get better.