.jpg "Why Does My Dog Smell Like Corn Chips?")
There's no denying that smell. Come on, admit it? You know what it is. One small whiff of your dog and you're thinking, "Geez, why does my dog smell like corn chips?" Well, you're not alone.
Dogs should not smell overwhelmingly like corn chips. So it’s essential to investigate and get to the root cause. Otherwise, you’re looking at a host of other problems. Brachycephalic breeds- smushy, pushed in faced dogs like bulldogs and pugs- are much more likely to have smelly faces than non-brachycephalic dogs. But the corn chip smell can strike any dog. Find out what you can do to fix it using ALL NATURAL skin care products for dogs and say good bye to the corn chip smell.
Why Do My Dog's Paws Stink?
Do you find that your dog’s feet let off more odor when they’re wet? Is your dog an obsessive paw licker? The moisture on your pet’s feet is what provides a suitable environment for bacteria to breed and grow.
This natural bacteria won’t hurt your dog, but it's possible that in this warm, wet breeding ground, natural yeast can grow, and your dog could develop a yeast infection if an overgrowth of yeast becomes a problem.
The corn chip smell you’ve been sniffing arises when perspiration mixes with bacteria on even the cleanest paws. But why corn chips? This bacteria, called Protea or Pseudomonas, gives off a yeasty smell, according to The Dodo. To keep the smell from overtaking your nostrils, wash your dog’s paws with a chemical free, all natural shampoo like our Sudsy Wudsy™ Certified Organic Dog Shampoo and apply an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial ointment like our Cruddy Wuddy™ Crud Fix to their paws. This will help prevent an overgrowth and begin to eliminate the smell.
You can also do a Povidone Iodine Soak for Fido. Povidone iodine is an organic iodine solution. It’s safe, non-toxic, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-yeast. Fill a tub with water and add enough Povidone Iodine to make the water the color of iced tea, soak paws for 3-5 minutes, pat dry.
My dogs ears smell like a bread factory!
The Foo suffered from ear infections, due to the overgrowth of pseudomonas, and boy was it STINK-Y. I’d ask him, “Geez, are you growing a bread factory in there?”
Dogs have numerous apocrine glands in their external ear canals. In this location they are referred to as ceruminous glands. The ear canals also have numerous sebaceous glands. Together these two sets of glands produce natural ear wax, or cerumen. Micro-organisms live naturally in this material and give the ears a characteristic slightly yeasty odor even when healthy. When infected, the ears can give off a strong disagreeable smell. If you have ever had a dog with ear crud, you would know this smell blindfolded. The Foo was born with low levels of immunoglobulin, which caused yeast to often go into overdrive. More on this below under diet. So if your dog has an overgrowth of yeast, be sure to check their diet, also.
But you can start to resolve the issue and get rid of that foul odor. Happy Ears Doggie Ear Cleasner & Drops to the rescue! Both products are handcrafted using only all natural, organic, vegan and cruelty free ingredients. Our Happy Ears Doggie Cleanser is gently enough to use every day. No harmful chemicals that could damage or irritate your dog's ear canal. Just squirt a little into the ear, smoosh it around for a few seconds, and dry with a soft cotton pad or cloth.
For more persistent and/or chronic problems, our Happy Ears Doggie Drops is the perfect solution. Just apply 1-2 drops per ear and let it sink in and do the work. It will also save you a ton of money at the vet's office. And you'll be using proven products that work without using any harmful or synthetic ingredients.
My dog’s entire body has a stinky smell, help!
If you read our previous post on STINKY SKIN, then you will know that allergies can cause a whole host of problems for dog’s skin.
We recommend a weekly bath using our Sudsy Wudsy™ Certified Organic Dog Shampoo. Since carbs and grains ultimately feed yeast overgrowth, we don’t recommend using oatmeal-based shampoos.
Oatmeal is a grain which provides a food source for that yeast on your dog’s skin. No time for a bath or your dog is in-between baths? We recommend an all-over-massage using our Cruddy Wuddy™ Crud Fix.
Take a small amount and rub between your two palms and gently massage all over your dog’s body. This will help their body fight bacteria and fungus growing on their skin.
There are a few other reasons why your dog may smell like corn chips.
Check your dog’s diet.
Diet is the foundation of health. The way you nourish your dog is either going to help their immune system manage yeast, or it’s going to feed yeast. If your dog has a sensitivity to corn, and actually smells like corn chips constantly, it could very well be an intolerance to corn. Many dog food manufacturers use corn as a filler because it is cheap. So ditch the corn and look for a better dog food. Cheap brand dog foods are the WORST foods you can be feeding Fido and are often the culprit for a host of skin problems.
There is such a thing as an anti-yeast diet. The beauty of an anti-yeast diet is it is also an anti-inflammatory and species-appropriate diet.
Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy. Carbohydrates break down into sugar. Both MDs and veterinarians advise patients with yeast to get the sugars out of their diets.
Dietary sugar isn’t just the white kind added to many pet treats and some pet foods. There are ‘secret,’ hidden forms of sugar that can also feed yeast overgrowth, for instance, honey. Although honey can be beneficial for pets in some cases, it does provide a food source for yeast. So if your dog is yeasty, you’ll need to carefully read their pet food and cookie labels and avoid any product containing honey, high fructose corn syrup, and even white potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Many dogs on LID (limited Ingredient Diets) eat sweet potatoes. If your dog is yeasty, you need to switch foods.
Eliminate potatoes, corn, wheat, rice – essentially all the carbohydrates need to go away in a sugar-free diet.
Immune system not operating at optimum levels?
If your dog is overwhelmed with an opportunistic pathogen like yeast, it’s likely their immune system isn’t operating at 100 percent. In order to determine if this is the culprit, you can do immune testing to measure their immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgM and IgA). Generally these levels are low in a dog with constant yeast overgrowth. If your dog is producing healthy levels of immunoglobulins, they should be able to overcome almost any infection, and particularly an opportunistic yeast infection.
So Now What?
You should be able to narrow down what's causing the smell. Start implementing a new grooming protocol and choose all natural products like My Dog Foo, handcrafted using only the finest, sustainably sourced, all natural, organic and vegan ingredients.