Have you ever been snuggling with your dog on the couch when suddenly you smell a strong odor of snack foods, even though there are no Fritos or popcorn around? Maybe you've zoomed in on the smell and narrowed it down to your dog's feet. What's going on?
Many people think their dogs' feet smell like Fritos or popcorn. In fact, "Frito Feet" is a colloquial term used to describe the odor that dogs' feet often give off.
The phenomenon of Frito feet is caused by bacteria, especially Pseudomonas and Proteus species, both of which are common on dogs' paws. That's because the feet are one of the only spots on a dog's body that have sweat glands, so there's an increased population of harmless bacteria living there.
Frito feet is a normal odor in dogs and is nothing to worry about.
Some people like sniffing their dog's Frito feet. But if you're one of those folks who can't stand that odor, you can do two things to decrease it:
Of course, there are times when foot odor in a dog indicates a problem, like a bacterial or yeast infection. In that case, there's been an overgrowth of organisms on the feet that cause skin irritation and increased odor.
If you notice the following, it's time to make a veterinary appointment:
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