You’re Not Imagining That Your Dog’s Paws Smell Like Chips — It’s A Real Thing, And Here’s The Explanation

There’s nothing cuter than a dog paw up close. But there’s also nothing like the smell of a dog paw. For some reason, the scent sometimes gets you in the mood for Fritos, specifically. But why?!

First thing’s first, just know it’s normal — but if you notice it happening a lot, you might want to visit a vet. Especially if they’re exhibiting other unusual signs (such as extremely bad breath, itchy skin, red eyes, or a change in bowel movements).  That Fritos smell you get from dog paws does have to do with a biological reaction. According to Bustle, that smell comes from a combo of bacteria, sweat, and yeast. The pads on a dog’s foot happen to be the one place where sweat glands are present. Probably because it’s the perfect spot for sweat and bacteria to accumulate. See, most dog paws are hairy and a little damp — that’s part of the reason why they’re so cute.

So, what could it mean? It might be that your dog is producing a lot of yeast. And if you feel like the Fritos smell happens on a somewhat regular basis, you’ll probably want to visit the vet to help control it.

Excess yeast will likely cause your dog to have itchy skin, so if you see them biting on their paw in discomfort, it’s definitely time to take your pup to the doctor. You’ll find from your vet that switching foods might help them out a little bit.

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But if it’s just an occasional odor, and you want to know how to help them out a bit with maintaining it, The Dodo suggest carefully trimming the fur around your dog’s pads. The site also mentions scrubbing their feet may help a little bit.

The one bad thing about all this? Well, if you start associating Fritos with a stinky dog, you might be turned off of the popular snack forever.