Hearsay about ear mites

I recently read in a pet forum that ear mites could easily be killed off and controlled by
putting just one drop of the topical flea/tick medicine (usually applied to the back of the neck) into each ear. The poster implied that this was a 'best kept secret' of vets, and that
the mites will not come back (or hadn't in his experience anyway).

Has anyone ever heard of this? What detrimental effects might it have to the ear or overall health
of the animal.

I ask because I'm currently treating a stray cat for a very severe case of ear mites using the traditional vet-approved solution which has to be repeated for quite awhile until the mites are gone.

I have never heard of the treatment you described before so I did some Googling and it sounds like a lot of times, pets are treated for ear mites when what they really have is a bacterial or yeast infection. Lots of info at this link though noting a variety of options.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ear_mites.html

Basic google search did reveal that "flea control products that kill adult fleas will kill mites". I don't think you have to (nor would I advise you to) put the medication directly in the ear though.

So it looks like if I use Advantage (for fleas and ticks) it will also take care of ear mites.
I'll have to wait until he's a little older though.

The cat is actually a kitten (8 or 9 weeks old by my estimate) and has been to the vet and received
the first set of shots (with a booster shot to be given soon). I didn't really get into
the ear mite thing because, while the vet offered to give me something for them (after doing
some cleaning of the ears), I declined it because I already had some ear mite medicine at home I had
used on another cat. But I didn't realize and the vet didn't explain the options to me, or inquire what I was using (which was just some over the counter stuff).

My usual vet has moved on and this was a temporary replacement vet until they find someone new.
Anyway, thanks for the help with that. When I take the cat back for the booster shots I'll be better able to discuss the options with her.

Frontline Plus or Revolution (depending on the type of pet) to get rid of or prevent ear mites. He said to put one drop on the back of the ear though, not anywhere near the front of or in the ear canal. The back of the ear works fine and then you don't have to worry that too much will get into the ear canal and cause problems on sensitive skin. Also make sure if you find one has ear mites to treat all pets at once.

I had to sign a waiver at my vet's recently when they gave it to me for my dog noting that they had informed me of this.

labeling the package too. No Advantix on cats or ferrets, ever. Here it is Advantix in warm weather for the dogs, then Frontline plus in cooler weather since the Advantix helps with gnats and mosquitoes. Cats always Frontline Plus but they are indoor only. Ferrets gets Revolution. Actually I won't use anything on cats unless it is cat only. Even shampoos etc that say for dogs and cats are a no no around here.

I just came from my new vet. He's actually an old timer and seen it all. He said he, like many vets, used to spray or swab a little flea/tick/ear mite medicine in a cat's ear to get rid of the mites but was just recently alerted to stop the practice because it was being reported that some cats died from it.

He explained that if the flea medicine is put in the ear and is not absorbed before hitting the
ear drum it is strong enough to eat through/penetrate the drum and cause the cat to lose its balance, have seizures and then die. He said applying the medicine to the back of the neck works
just fine to get rid of the mites (as was suggested to me in this thread as well).