I think about this almost every time my dogs bring back a piece of an animal and gnaw on it for days, or even when they drink out of a puddle.
Of course I know animals have different digestive enzymes, and I would get sick if I did what they did. So, how long ago were humans able to do that? Why did we start cooking our meat before eating it?
This may be a question that is better suited for /r/AskAnthropology since the use of fire to cook food predates homo sapiens.