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If you have adog , you may have noticed that its paws sense disturbingly similar to a popular snack food : Fritos .
In fact , even the corn chip brand acknowledged the ill-smelling similarity , tweeting in 2022 , " Stop say we smell like dog paws , we ’re taste to sell clavus check here . "
Why does a pup’s paws smell pungently like corn chips?
So what have dogs ' paws to smell like this salty collation ? And is it cause for concern ?
Dr. Jerry Klein , master veterinary officer at the American Kennel Club ( AKC ) , told Live Science that the causal agent comes down to a shift toward higher levels of sure character of cutis bacterium .
" It ’s just like in humans , our feet tend to not smell badly unless we are either grungy , contaminating or sweaty , " Klein said . " Our feet should not smack that fashion under normal condition . "
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But when the peel ’s flora change , that ’s when feet can tread into ill-scented district .
" Every animal and soul has normal cutis flora that protects us and has a certain counterbalance of dissimilar microbes andbacteria , " Klein order . " But when things get disrupted , then thing get down to change . "
But smellier paws do n’t needfully imply the dog is unhealthy — specially if it exhibit no other signboard of distraint , Klein said .
Unlike world , who protect their foot with brake shoe before venturing outside , dogs ' unornamented paws are regularly exposed to different surfaces that can carry a menagerie of bacteria andfungi .
Ultimately , Frito feet result from two types of bacterium , PseudomonasandProteus , both of which can give off a barmy odor akin to corn chips , grant to theAKC .
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The fix for Frito feet is fairly simple . First , you’re able to just take that your wienerwurst reek like Zea mays french fries . " If your dog is n’t being bothered by its paws , then it ’s probably not an issue , " Klein say .
But if you are bothered by the smell , " you’re able to always load some balmy dish liquid ecstasy with water and wash their foot and dry them exhaustively , " he added . " Then take a good looking at the paw and verify there ’s no lesions or ulcerations or infection , which could be a sign of the zodiac of something grown . "
If the dog is incessantly licking or biting its paws or acting other than , that may be a polarity of something more serious , Klein added .
" If you notice an overpowering smell from the paws or even on the physical structure , then maybe it ’s something that needs to be deal , " Klein tell . " It ’s not necessarily an exigency , but it might be something that you want to advert the next time you go to the vet . "
