mental_flosseditor - in - chief Jason English has long suggested that I see into the skill of why his blackguard Bailey ’s feet smell like Zea mays everta . I imagine the odor was a queerness of Bailey ’s . But then I did some inquiry .
Many dogs ' feet do sense like Zea mays everta ! thinker blown .
More accurately , they smell a little close to corn chips , hence the moniker for the condition : " Frito Feet . “
So why does it befall ? The cutis of most beast is home to a lot of microbes . As Bill Bryson puts it inA light History of intimately Everything , " If you are in good wellness and averagely diligent about hygiene , you will have a herd of about one trillion bacteria range on your sarcoid plain — about a hundred thousand of them on every square cm of pelt . " hotdog metrical foot are a capital place for bacterium and barm to take up hall because there ’s a lot of moisture and picayune to no air circulation in the folds and pockets of tegument between the toes and substructure pads . Bacteria flock there and reproduce with exuberance .
All these microorganisms give out their own distinct odors ( they ’re what give us BO ) , and the Zea mays everta / corn whisky poker chip spirit on some dog ' feet could be due to barm orProteusbacteria . Both are make love for their sweet , corn tortilla – like olfactory property . Or it could bePseudomonasbacteria , which smell out a little fruitier — but jolly close to popcorn to most noses .
As I said , it ’s perfectly normal for there to be a pot of bacteria on your ducky ( and you ) . There are worse thing these bacteria could be doing besides making your Canis familiaris smell like yummy snacks . Frito Feet is no cause for dismay unless the olfactory property is really overwhelming . That could be a sign of an infection and should be see to it out by your veterinary surgeon .
Have you go a Big head you ’d like us to reply ? If so , let us know by emailing us atbigquestions@mentalfloss.com .
