WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Dogs' Paws Smell Like Corn Chips?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Boglebomb here with another classic episode of the podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>In this one, we discuss what causes the gloriously snack

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<v Speaker 1>like scent of a dog's pause. If you happen to

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<v Speaker 1>not be a fan, we won't hold it against you, though,

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<v Speaker 1>Just more puppy pause for the rest of us. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff. I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and you probably don't

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<v Speaker 1>go around smelling dog's feet all the time, But even

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<v Speaker 1>if you did, or even only on occasion, the odor

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<v Speaker 1>might remind you of something crunchy. As it turns out,

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<v Speaker 1>there are many dogs of all breeds and sizes whose

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<v Speaker 1>feet smell like corn chips or popcorn. Some say or

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<v Speaker 1>not show flavored tortilla chips. Although the smell and its

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<v Speaker 1>interpretations vary, most people who sniff their pets odoriferous feet

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<v Speaker 1>are convinced their nostrils are picking up some kind of

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<v Speaker 1>crunchy snack. For rietal, I think the corn chip brand

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<v Speaker 1>Freedo's in particular. But why it has everything to do

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<v Speaker 1>with microorganisms. The average human body comprises thirty trillion cells

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<v Speaker 1>and is topped by skin covered by forty trillion bacteria.

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<v Speaker 1>But this ratio may be even greater for dogs. In particular,

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<v Speaker 1>the nooks and crannies of dog paws pick up actinobacteria

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<v Speaker 1>from soil, where the bacteria lives and multiplies. Most of

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<v Speaker 1>a dog's apacrene glands or sweat glands, are concentrated in

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<v Speaker 1>the pads on their feet. These pads are surrounded by

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<v Speaker 1>fur and create damp and warm crevices that become an

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<v Speaker 1>excellent breeding ground for all kinds of bacterial growth. With

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<v Speaker 1>all this reproduction comes a number of accompanying smells, most

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<v Speaker 1>of which are related to yeast and bacterial byproducts. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>microorganism poop. Yeast and bacterial poop is responsible for a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of the sense we encounter, from unpleasant body odor

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<v Speaker 1>to the attractive smells in wine, bread, and cheese. So

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<v Speaker 1>which bacteria cause your dog's feet to smell like a snack? Yeast?

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<v Speaker 1>For one, Yeast loves to thrive in warm, wet environments,

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<v Speaker 1>and so do bacteria called pseudomonis, which emit an odor

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<v Speaker 1>that many people interpret as popcorn. The real culprit in

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<v Speaker 1>that corn chip smell, though, are proteus bacteria, which emit

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<v Speaker 1>a scent like slightly sweet corn tortillas, which seems to

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<v Speaker 1>intensify after dogs sleep, possibly because the heat generated by

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<v Speaker 1>a sleeping dog encourages bacterial activity. Even if you're not

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<v Speaker 1>a fan of corn chip pause, if some pet owners

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<v Speaker 1>call the odor freedo feet, your health may benefit from

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<v Speaker 1>exposure to doggy bacteria. Studies have shown that pregnant women

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<v Speaker 1>who own dogs have babies with a more diverse microbiome,

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<v Speaker 1>and that children who grow up around pets aren't as

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<v Speaker 1>prone to suffer from allergies. Most researchers agree that exposure

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<v Speaker 1>to a greater number of microbes enhances immune system functions.

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<v Speaker 1>No word yet on whether simply inhaling those microbes and

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<v Speaker 1>their byproducts by huffing puffy pause does the trick. It

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<v Speaker 1>can't hurt though right. Today's episode is based on the

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<v Speaker 1>article why your dog's pause smell gloriously like corn chips

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<v Speaker 1>on HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by Lareel Dove. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of My Heart Radio in partnership with HowStuffWorks

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more

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