Wild Strawberry (Indian Mock Strawberry) – Dog Eating Leaves

Q: I have an odd question. My dog likes to eat wild strawberry leaves but not the fruit. He will graze to his heart’s content whenever we find a patch. The leaves produce no ill effects whatsoever. Why does he do this?

A: Indian mock strawberry, Potentilla indica, fruit is certainly edible but pretty tasteless in my experience. I’ve never tried the leaves so I have no idea why your dog loves them. Herbalists use some species of potentilla for their remedies. Check with your vet, but if the dog shows no ill effects, I suppose you could allow the behavior to continue.

Indian Strawberry