IDK if you saw this (thread link below), but S&C changed something about their Pheasant freeze dried & are keeping tight lipped about it. B4, it was so easy to break off, smelled yummy & now it's hard as a rock, LOTS of sharp fragments of bone...not kidding, half are bones.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...bones-s-c.html
I have 3 bags of unopened pheasant...I can see pieces of bone in the patties through the bag. I can't return them, it costs more to return, ordered it online via doggiefood.
I think the sandy grainy texture you're seeing are bones...in their poopie. If there's too much bones in their diet, their poopies get ashy. Just a guess. I stopped feeding Mimi the S&C Pheasant bc it looked like she was getting tummy aches & her poopies would crumble, break up...weird!
You should try Primal's Duck freeze dried. That's one of my guys favs. Easy to break off, never had an issue w/it. They also have Turkey & sardine.