Flea control all year round in California is important for your pets, especially puppies and kittens. Dr. Kristina Hansson, a Diamond Certified veterinarian with the North Bay Animal Hospital told me why. “So what can happen is with the chronic ingestion of blood by the fleas, it can actually lead to anemia and stunted growth because the animal is not growing as fast as it normally would with the nutrient loss from the blood.” Dr. Hansson doesn’t recommend flea collars for flea prevention. She suggests talking to your vet about which flea maintenance product, the kind you apply once a month, is best for your pet.