<div><p>Have you ever caught a whiff of your dog's paws and suddenly had a hankering for Fritos or popcorn?</p><p>Ask almost any dog owner and they'll confirm their dog's paws smell eerily similar to a bag of corn chips, to the point where you wonder if they've somehow gotten their paws into a bag. </p><p>But as it turns out, there's actually a scientific reason why dog feet smell like corn chips, and it doesn't have anything to do with their diet!</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/114359952-crop-56a9c2835f9b58b7d0fec03d_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>The Spruce</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>The Frito smell is totally natural and totally common among dogs. It's caused by a bacteria even on the cleanest of dog paws. The bacteria, called Proteus or Pseudomonas, gives off a yeasty smell which our noses associate with corn chips. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/980x-110.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/980x-110_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/980x-110_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/980x-110_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center">Proteus bacteria found on dog paws.<cite>Wikimedia Commons</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p>It's similar to how certain bacteria and microorganisms give off the smell of body odors in humans. It's just a way of life. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>The Frito smell is completely normal, but if you find it's getting worse it's probably a good idea to get your dog checked out!</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/tumblr_m9jg0vket11re4ne0o1_500.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img><figcaption class="op-vertical-center"><cite>Tumblr</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>