Puppies vomiting occasionally

Question
I have two rescue pups, one 6 months male and one 4 month female. Both vomit on average about once / twice per week, they've been checked by the vets a few times and there are no other problems with them, they're fine before and after they vomit.
The older one never vomited until we got the younger one. The youngest is a Springer Spaniel and eats just about anything she can get her paws on - including plaster, skirting boards, twigs, snails, slugs etc etc. Judging by what they bring up it I think the vomit is due to this. She seems to get the eldest to eat things he shouldn't as well!
We've puppy proofed as much as we can but they still seem to be able to find things to eat - the latest thing was destroying their beds and eating the padding in the middle of the night. Sure enough the next day there was vomit with padding in it.
Should we be worried about this or is it something they'll grow out of?

Answer
Hi Rachel,

It could well be that your male dog eating odd items like plaster, twigs, snails, slugs, etc. because of the competition aspect of not wanting to "miss out" of whatever your female dog has!

The only consolation you can gain from having your dogs throw up these inedible objects (she ate a bed?!!) is that they ARE being thrown up. This problem poses a serious health threat to your dogs! Any of these objects can cause a painful and dangerous intestinal blockage that could require surgical removal.

Your dogs are still pretty young, they might outgrow this habit, though you shouldn't ignore it. For one thing, if it becomes an ingrained habit, it won't be easy to stop. For another, it could kill your dog.

When your dogs left alone or you can't supervise them, confining them in crates is the best way of ensuring they don't end up eating something they shouldn't. Another option is to use a wire basket style muzzle. It would prevent your dog from eating when you're not around to supervise, while still allowing your dog to pant and drink water.

A dog that eats inedible substances is said to have "pica". Pica behavior is the name given to a dog who ingests unnatural objects that dogs are not meant to ingest, such as socks, toilet paper, your children's toys or anything else found around the house.

A good way to reduce pica behavior is to increase the amount of exercise and play your dog gets daily. It will keep her stimulated, while at the same time tiring her out. Once the exercise is over, she will probably prefer to rest rather than look for something to put in her mouth.
You can read more about treating a dog with pica here:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1551&articleid=162

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/picabeh.html

http://www.arcamax.com/catsanddogs/s-143412-362070

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/pica-in-dogs/page1.aspx

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,
Patti