My ferret is having signs associated with Insulinomas, is there anything else it could be?

Hello all,Farrah is a four year old cinnamon colored ferret. She's always appeared much less intelligent than her brother. She will run and play, and then stop for a few moments as if she had lost her train of thought. She's been "spacey" her whole life, so I didn't think much of it until recently: The other day, we were playing and she seemed off. She acted as if she was falling asleep randomly. Her eyes would close and she'd fall to one side and just lay there. It was not the normal bored speedbumping, it was like she had given up. After play time, I gave her a bath. And then this is when I knew something was really wrong, she laid flat with her head in the water. I had to support her head with my hand for the rest of the bath. Since then, she's had some irregular bowel movements, but she has been eating and drinking normally. She's been quite active and happy with just occasional episodes of becoming weak.We took her to the Vet, but he was no help. He told us what we already feared was happening, that she might have Insulinomas. When we asked if he could measure her blood glucose levels, and he said "you won't want to pay to fix that, so why have it diagnosed?"What a jerk, right? We're going to an exotic pet veterinarian this week to find out exactly what's wrong with our baby, but I was wondering if these are signs of ANYTHING else. If there's any possible way it could be an infection or something a little more treatable?!? If not, what is a ferret's quality of life with Insulinomas? How much will medication really help the situation? Will she be in pain eventually? We don't have the money for surgery, so about how long do we have until we need to think about our arrangements?Thank you very much for answering.Thank you! But she does have her distemper vaccination! It doesn't sound like what she has at all.I just found out she does indeed have Insulinomas. The vet told me we have a few months left with her.

I really sorry to hear about this.However don't jump to conclusions!She may just have the flu, it can cause lethargy. She may also have canine distemper. Ferrets CAN get it, and you don't necessarily need a dog around for her to catch it. It's an airborn virus, and you can bring it into your home simply by walking around with your shoes on. Unfortunately canine distemper is usually 100% fatal in ferrets.The symptoms of it are: Discharge from eyes - generally foul smelling, yellow or greenSwelling, rashes and thick brown crusts on the chin, lips, and noseSevere lethargyHigh feverLoss of appetiteDroolingDehydrationCoughingHardened, thick paw pads and swollen feetCrusting and redness in the abdominal and anal areasMuscular tremorsSeizuresVomiting and diarrhea may occur, but are less common than in dogs with distemperComaI HIGHLY recommend getting a blood glucose test because that will determine if she has insulinoma or not. As for whether or not giving meds is worth it or not is up to you. The vet will probably prescribe prednisone and/or diazoxide. They are supposed to help with symptoms however if she gets worse there is a chance that the meds won't work anymore.I wish you and her the best!