The cheese smell, aka “Frito Feet”, is from yeast overgrowth on the skin. If you google it, you’ll see it’s very common side effect of excess yeast on the skin. My current dog does not have this, though he does have yeast allergies and gets ear infections. However, my previous dog had severe yeast/cheese/Frito smell all over his body, not just the feet and he bit, gnawed, scratched and itched almost non-stop, all day, every day. The vet said it was caused by allergies. He recommended bathing him 3 times a week to help relieve the overgrowth. That did help, the smell went away temporarily and he was less itchy but it always returned within a few days. A daily dose of Claritan or generic, really helped. Do not use the “D” formula that has a decongestant in it and is usually kept behind the pharmacy counter. He was about 50 lbs and I gave him one pill per day, it gave him some relief but 2 pills per day were too strong and he seemed drowsy, probably should not exceed 10 mg per 50lbs. Also putting about 1 to 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in the water bowl every day helped him too, he was a little less smelly and itchy.
Really, that dog should have been on a grain-free food but I couldn’t convince my ex to do it. Technically the dog was his, so I could only do so much to provide relief.
