I have to jump in at the end, mostly because I just spent 2 horrible days with my lab cross who has the intestinal condition.
Seriously, we all know that dogs are dirty, regardless.
But not all dogs eat their own waste - none of my dogs, living or dead, ever has.
But dogs mouths GENERALLY have less bacteria than our own mouths, because their mouths are open more and the environment is less hospitable.
And dogs are not identical to wolves anymore physically - there have been some changes over the millenia.
But dogs and wolves are basically scavengers.
And no dog or wolf would jump into a field of wheat or corn and start chomping - they are carnivores, first and foremost.
And their intestinal tracts are different than ours - they digest differently. And some things they don't digest at all, and some things we eat can harm them greatly.
My poor little lab, who suffered greatly the past two days, has a system that is so sensitive that I have to crush her pills up, or that will put her into a crisis. Would I EVER feed her a raw bone? No way. Could she have ever dealt with a raw bone, even as a puppy? Probably not. She needs limited ingredient, canned dog food - and also the more expensive the better, as best I can figure out.
But if her kibble contained "animal byproducts" - how is that essentially any different that what happens in the wild, where they strip a deer carcass, chewing intestines, sinew, fat, etc. Animal byproducts are not necessarily evil, you just don't want to be making that a huge portion of the intake, as opposed to a good protein source.
Sad to say, dogs are a product of our engineering, and they are not a wolf with a wagging tail. We have changed them, we take them in, and we are responsible for trying to keep them happy and healthy.
If that means they do well on raw food, great.
If that means they need expensive canned food spoon-fed to them, well, not great, but I can deal with it.
If that means we buy the best kibble we can afford, then we are all doing the best we can, and what we think is best for the dog.
And I know people who don't wash the dog bowls, just dump in new kibble. I know people who kiss their dogs on the mouth. I know people who only put down fresh water once a day. I know people who feed their dogs pizza, or chinese takeout. I do none of those things, but their dogs are as healthy or maybe more healthy than mine. It's between you and your dog.
But you need to know your dog, you need to watch what is going in, and, more importantly, what is coming out. Okay, I'm done.
Sorry to be on the soapbox, but I have had a hard couple of days.