When we got our first Wheaten Terrier 6 years ago we were initially alarmed that she was grazing in one of the shrubs, we checked through all the dangerous plant lists and it wasn't on any of them, we discouraged her as best we could but she totally destroyed it. Over the years the shrub re-established itself.
We had a litter of puppies in May and eventually let them out in the garden and blow me the shrub got chewed again. This time I did a search on the web and found that the Potentilla is an old herbal remedy. "Potentilla has long been used as an astringent and anti-inflammatory in the treatment of acute diarrhea and intestinal tract inflammations." So much for Dumb Animals!
I am sure there must be a lot of dogs out there practicing herbal medicine...

Al

My puppy made a bee line for my potentilla as soon as he started to wander round the garden. I thought it was because the flowers were dying down & it was a good place to hide underneath. Hmm sounds like he's a bit of a herbalist too!
Penny

Hi Al,

Well, they do not *always* eat what's good for them, especially puppies.

My puppy attacks a lot of plants, but the only ones she has actually eaten are pansies and nigella. They are both edible - nigella I believe also has medicinal properties. (Even the rabbits like them.)

Stacey