Possible Causes Of Foot Odour In Dogs?
September 18, 2019
Have you ever thought how strangely similar your dogs feet smell to corn chips? Well, you’re not alone. It’s a familiar and inoffensive odour that many of us associate with our quirky, adorable dogs.
But even though it’s quite common and easily tolerated, frito feet, as it’s affectionately known could point to some kind of health issue.
What’s The Doggie Lowdown On Frito Feet?
When it comes to the paws, because there’s four of them, it takes twice as long to clean them. Whether you’re strapping on booties, or smearing foot balm on your dog’s foot pads, it’s finicky and troublesome. Your dog is never too eager to have anyone touch his toes, so applying proper paw hygiene often gets overlooked. It’s not like you can instruct them to wipe their feet before they enter your home.
The downside is, not only do your dogs end up tracking in all sorts of debris into the home, they can also harbour bacteria, fungus, and yeast in their paws. Particularly rampant in warm, damp conditions, summer-drenched feet and snow-soaked paws warming by the fire can create the perfect environment for these bacteria to grow.
Normally your dog’s natural immune system will fight off these skin-dwelling critters, but when the conditions are right, they can multiply and become a problem. As yeast builds up, your dog’s feet will begin to give off that funny, corn chip odour.
Diet can also play a part in contributing to foot yeast infestation, as these critters thrive on sugary treats and low-fibre carbohydrates like white bread.
While it is widely believed that dogs don’t have sweat glands, this is not actually true. Sweat glands reside in your dog's foot pads and bacteria from sweat can encourage the build-up of yeast.
How to prevent corn chip feet in dogs
If you’ve noticed your dog is chewing their toes a lot or licking them often, they could have an yeast infestation. Following some simple tips to ensure regular foot hygiene is a good tack to take to prevent yeasty odour in your dog’s feet. Here are a few things you can do:
- Regularly trim your dog’s nails and at the same time, clip the fur growing around their foot pads. This will help your dog’s paws to dry out quickly after they get wet.
- Give them a foot bath with a non-toxic, anti-bacterial shampoo or solution. You can buy sprays and lotions at the pet store or you can apply a little home remedy with a gallon of warm water and two tablespoons of baking soda. Soak for 30 seconds for a soothing, antibacterial foot bath. Just make sure your dog doesn’t try to drink the water.
- Get into the habit of cleaning your dog's feet when you return home from a walk.
- If the frito foot odour returns, then you’ll need a trip to the vet.
The bottom line is, healthy dogs should smell good. If there is some strange odour emitting from their bodies somewhere, it could be a sign of some underlying health issue.