Fruitcake, once a quaint holiday tradition, now the symbol of tasteless Christmas gifts and the butt of jokes, most notably by Johnny Carson who found in the maligned cake a rich source of jokes: “The worst gift is fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”

As it turns out, Carson’s quip was not only funny but amazingly accurate. Frightening as it is to contemplate, in the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking the authors suggest that, “Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age. When they are well saturated with alcoholic liquors, which raise the spirits and keep down mold, and are buried in powdered sugar in tightly closed tins, they have been enjoyed as long as 25 years after baking.”

It was probably the very same people who enjoy rum-soaked 25-year-old cake preserved for an eternity with candied fruit that thought their dogs might like it as well. Or perhaps it was a rum-soaked 25-year-old baker with a screw loose that decided to turn fruit cake into dog treats, no one is certain.

Whoever came up with the idea, certainly, had to be “nuttier than a fruitcake”. It was only a matter of time that someone at the fruitcake factory was found asleep behind bakery wheel, when they forgot to cool the cakes before packaging them. What the hapless kitchen help didn’t realize was that unless they allow the steaming cakes to cool off, moisture builds up inside the packaging causing the cakes to mold.

Which brings us to today’s announcement on the FDA website: Claudia’s Canine Cuisine® voluntary recalls of it’s Dogcandy® Brand of Holiday Hound Cake and Blueberry Hound Cake manufactured for, distributed, and sold in approximately 130 Petsmart Stores because of the possibility of mold. Last week, the cakes had been recalled via Petsmart’s Twitter feed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2012 – The product in question is a single production run and packed in a 7.5 ounce paw print bag marked with a best by date of 08-2015. The best by date can be found on the ingredient label on the back of the package just above the UPC bar code. The UPC for the Blueberry Hound Cake is: 692614010058; The UPC for the Holiday Hound Cake is: 692614010041.

The recall applies to 7.5 oz. bags of DogCandy® Holiday Hound Cake and Blueberry Hound Cake because the cakes have the potential to become moldy. These cakes were manufactured specifically for PetSmart Corporation and distributed to approximately 130 PetSmart stores in 36 states. No other products have been impacted.

Selected stores in the following states carried the cakes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Mold was found on several cakes after they were delivered to the stores. Under investigation the company discovered that the cakes contained higher moisture content due to the product being packaged while still warm. The company has taken every precaution and implemented new additional procedures to correct the issue.

Claudia’s Canine Cuisine® has not received any reports of illness associated with the affected product. If you purchased one of these cakes, please return it to your nearest PetSmart store for a full refund or send to Claudia’s Canine Cuisine® 100 Four Paws Lane, Maumelle, Arkansas 72113 and indicate if you want a refund or a replacement product. All shipping fees will also be reimbursed.

Consumers who have purchased any of the 7.5 oz. bags of DogCandy® Holiday Hound Cake and/or Blueberry Hound Cake should discontinue use of the product. Consumers with questions may contact Claudia’s Canine Cuisine® Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Central Standard Time) by calling Irma Harbour at 1-501-851-0002. You may also send an email to: info@claudiascaninecuisine.com