Why do dogs' paws smell like Fritos?

If you have a dog, you may have noticed that its paws smell disturbingly similar to a popular snack food: Fritos.

In fact, even the corn chip brand acknowledged the stinky similarity, tweeting in 2022, "Stop saying we smell like dog paws, we're trying to sell corn chips here." 

So what causes dogs' paws to smell like this salty snack? And is it cause for concern?

Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinary officer at the American Kennel Club (AKC), told Live Science that the cause comes down to a shift toward higher levels of certain types of skin bacteria.

"It's just like in humans, our feet tend to not smell badly unless we are either grungy, dirty or sweaty," Klein said. "Our feet should not smell that way under normal circumstances."

Related: 'Puppy eyes' didn't evolve just for humans, study of wild dogs finds

But when the skin's flora changes, that's when feet can tread into smellier territory.