{"id":4473,"date":"2024-07-22T07:49:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T07:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/?p=4473"},"modified":"2024-12-20T08:44:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T08:44:02","slug":"why-does-my-dogs-paws-smell-like-popcorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/pet-health\/why-does-my-dogs-paws-smell-like-popcorn\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does My Dog’s Paws Smell Like Popcorn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hold up people! It\u2019s indeed true and you aren\u2019t the only one who thinks their dog\u2019s paws smell like popcorn or Doritos! Dog paws actually do smell a lot like cheese and butter corn chips, and now veterinarians agree that it\u2019s a fact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, why do dog\u2019s feet smell like popcorn, Fritos or Doritos? Well, don\u2019t worry. Your dog isn\u2019t sick at all. It\u2019s a very normal phenomenon and it\u2019s common for almost all dogs irrespective of their breed and age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What causes your dog\u2019s paws to smell like popcorn?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Just like us, (yes, us!) healthy dogs have some bacteria and fungi on their skins and under their paws at all times. When your dog has these two bacteria – <\/span>Proteus <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Pseudomonas <\/span><\/i>at normal levels on their skin, your dog’s paws smell like corn chips dipped in cheese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do dogs get bacteria on their paws?<\/b><\/p>\n

As we have mentioned before in our post – <\/span>Heatstroke in Dogs<\/span><\/a>, dogs only sweat through the bottom of their feet and control their overall body temperature by panting. Whenever they walk on any surface with their sweaty paws, they will pick up some bacteria including <\/span>Pseudomonas <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Proteus<\/span><\/i>. These are the \u201cgood\u201d bacteria which form a part of your <\/span>dog\u2019s natural skin microbiome<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, as long as your dog\u2019s feet are clean, but still smell like popcorn or corn chips, it\u2019s a sign that your dog\u2019s skin is healthy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These bacteria only become problematic when they multiply too much. Then you will notice a change in smell as well as see redness, itching and bumps. If the skin becomes too irritated it can lead to <\/span>pododermatitis<\/span><\/a> as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, smelling like popcorn, good. Change of smell, bad!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Should you try to get rid of your dog\u2019s popcorn-like smell?<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s our duty to keep our four-legged friends happy and healthy. Dog\u2019s noses are much sharper than ours. They like smelling like themselves irrespective of us associating the smell with popcorns or Doritos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dogs simply like to smell like dogs. They do not want to smell like the \u201cfresh ocean breeze\u201d or \u201csublime citrus\u201d pet perfume that you have been browsing!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you noticed? Every time you bathe your dog with any soap or shampoo, they like to <\/span>wiggle on their bed, the floor and couch<\/span><\/a>? It\u2019s them trying to get their own smell back on them. Most dogs do not like the smell of the scented pet shampoos we love. It makes them feel extremely insecure, and for good reason. How will their friends recognise them at the dog park?!<\/span><\/p>\n

How to ensure your dog\u2019s feet are healthy?<\/b><\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Now we are asking the important question! It\u2019s not important how cheesy your dog\u2019s paws smell, but it\u2019s important to keep your dog\u2019s paws free from infection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wash their paws when dirty<\/b><\/p>\n

You can begin by trying to put on walking shoes or socks on your dog’s paws, and once you fail, simply resort to <\/span>washing your dog\u2019s paws<\/span><\/a> with plain water and drying their paws (go between their toes) well after a particularly long walk. Do wash their paws with dog-friendly shampoo if they have gone digging or walking in the mud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wipe their paws<\/b><\/p>\n

Another way is to use pet wipes that are unscented and free from alcohol to wipe their feet clean after they come back from the outdoors. It is always a great idea to wipe off the excess dirt and allergens, because every dog has the habit of licking their paws clean once they are back from a walk.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opt for grooming\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Take them from professional grooming once a month. Request the groomer to use a dog-friendly shampoo to clean their paws properly and trim the hair between their toes. It can help maintain the proper paw-health of your buddy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wear your outdoor shoes at home<\/b><\/p>\n

At the same time, keep your outdoor shoes outside. Refrain from bringing the outdoor dirt, bacteria and fungi into your home. That\u2019s just nasty! And even your dog judges you for it. More importantly, your dog will walk on the infected floor, get the dirt in their paws, lick their paws and end up falling sick.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice any change in smell<\/b><\/p>\n

Finally, if your dog\u2019s paws normally smell like popcorn and now they have begun smelling like 3-day old pizza, it\u2019s time to see the veterinarian. New supplements, medication or a drastic change in the weather can disrupt your dog\u2019s natural skin bacterial balance. The change in smell is simply an indicator that \u201csomething has changed\u201d and it needs to be checked out.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hold up people! It\u2019s indeed true and you aren\u2019t the only one who thinks their dog\u2019s paws smell like popcorn or Doritos! Dog paws actually do smell a lot like…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119,64,66],"tags":[8,99],"class_list":["post-4473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dogs","category-pet-health","category-pet-parents","tag-dog","tag-dog-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4478,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4473\/revisions\/4478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetic.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}