OPERATIONS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation	In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements contain all adjustments, consisting of normal, recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the results of our operations and statements of stockholders' equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, as well as cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herein have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. Our unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly-owned subsidiaries since their respective dates of acquisitions. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Where our ownership of a subsidiary was less than 100%, the non-controlling interest is reported on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The non-controlling interest in our consolidated net income is reported as "Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest" on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. These unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other financial information filed with the SEC.
Use of Estimates	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates are required when establishing the allowance for doubtful accounts and the net realizable value of inventory; determining future costs associated with warranties provided; determining the period over which our obligations are fulfilled under agreements to license product rights and/or technology rights; evaluating long-lived and intangible assets and investments for impairment; estimating the useful lives of instruments under leasing arrangements; determining the allocation of purchase price under purchase accounting; estimating the expense associated with the granting of stock options; and determining the need for, and the amount of a valuation allowance on deferred tax assets.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which became effective for us beginning January 1, 2018. The new standard made eight targeted changes to how cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and has subsequently issued several supplemental and/or clarifying Accounting Standards Updates or ASUs (collectively “ASC 606”). ASC 606 prescribes a single common revenue standard that replaces most existing GAAP revenue recognition guidance. ASC 606 outlines a five-step model, under which Heska will recognize revenue as performance obligations within customer contracts are satisfied. ASC 606 is intended to provide more consistent interpretation and application of the principles outlined in the standard across filers in multiple industries and within the same industries compared to current practices, which should improve comparability. Along with the issuance of ASC 606, additional cost guidance was issued and codified under ASC 340-40 that outlines the requirement for capitalizing incremental costs of obtaining a contract and costs to fulfill a contract that meet certain capitalization criteria. On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method for all customer contracts not yet completed as of the adoption date. Results for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the Company’s historic accounting under Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. We recorded an increase to beginning retained earnings of $2.6 million as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting ASC 606. The impact to beginning retained earnings was primarily driven by the capitalization of certain costs to obtain our customer contracts, which were primarily sales-related commissions. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a significant impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. As a result, comparisons of revenues and operating profit performance between periods are not affected by the adoption of this ASU. We generate our Core Companion Animal (“CCA”) segment revenue through the sale of products, either by outright purchase by our customers or through a subscription agreement whereby our customers receive instruments and pay us a monthly fee for the usage of the instrument as well as the consumables needed to conduct testing. Outright sales to customers are the majority of both Point of Care imaging diagnostic transactions and the sale of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, while subscription placement is the majority of Point of Care diagnostic laboratory transactions. For outright sales of products, revenue is recognized when control of the promised product or service is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products or services (the transaction price). A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or service to a customer and is the unit of account under ASC 606. For instruments, consumables, and most software licenses sold by the Company, control transfers to the customer at a point in time. To indicate the transfer of control, the Company must have a present right to payment, legal title must have passed to the customer, the customer must have the significant risks and rewards of ownership, and where acceptance is not a formality, the customer must have accepted the product or service. Heska’s principal terms of sale are FOB Shipping Point, or equivalent, and, as such, we primarily transfer control and record revenue for product sales upon shipment. If a performance obligation to the customer with respect to a sales transaction remains unfulfilled following shipment (typically owed installation or acceptance by the customer), revenue recognition for that performance obligation is deferred until such commitments have been fulfilled. We do not generally allow return of products or instruments. For extended warranty and service plans, control transfers to the customer over the term of the arrangement. Revenue for extended warranties and service is recognized based upon the period of time elapsed under the arrangement. Our revenue under subscription agreements relate to operating-type lease (“OTL”) arrangements or sales-type lease (“STL”) arrangements. A STL would result in earlier recognition of instrument revenue as compared to an OTL, which is generally upon installation of the instruments. The cost of the customer-leased instruments is removed from inventory and recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. Determination of an OTL or STL is primarily based on the length of the contract as compared to the estimated useful life of the instrument, among other factors. Leases are outside of the scope of ASC 606 and are therefore accounted for in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Instrument lease revenue for OTL agreements is recognized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease, and the costs of customer-leased instruments are recorded within property and equipment in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and depreciated over the instrument’s estimated useful life. The depreciation expense is reflected in cost of revenue in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The OTLs and STLs are not cancellable until after an initial term. Under either type of lease, we often charge a subscription fee and provide a minimum supply credit. OTLs may include a minimum utilization rather than a minimum supply credit. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the contracts' transaction price for each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis using our best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct product or service in the contract. The primary method used to estimate the standalone selling price is the price observed in standalone sales to customers. However, when prices in standalone sales are not available, we may use a cost-plus margin approach. Allocation of the transaction price is determined at the contracts' inception. The Company does not adjust the transaction price for the effects of a significant financing component when the period between the transfer of the promised good or service to the customer and payment for that good or service by the customer is expected to be one year or less. This allocation approach also applies to contracts for which a portion of the contract relates to a lease component. We generate revenue within our Other Vaccines, Pharmaceuticals, and Products (“OVP”) segment through contract manufacturing agreements with customers. The timing of revenue recognition of our customer contracts are generally recognized upon shipment or acceptance by our customer, under the same guidelines noted above for other outright product sales. Heska assessed the over-time criteria within ASC 606 and concluded that because products within this segment have no alternative use to Heska, as Heska is contractually prohibited to redirect the product to other customers, Heska does not have right to payment for performance to date. Therefore, point in time revenue recognition has been determined to be appropriate. Revenue generated from licensing arrangements is recognized based on the underlying term of the contract. Refer to Note 2 for additional disclosures required by ASC 606. Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU is intended to simplify aspects of share-based compensation issued to non-employees by making the guidance consistent with accounting for employee share-based compensation. ASU 2018-07 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted but no earlier than an entity’s adoption date of Topic 606. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. Adoption of the new standard is not expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The ASU permits companies to elect a reclassification of the disproportionate tax effects in accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") caused by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to retained earnings. The ASU also requires additional disclosures. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. Adoption of the new standard is not expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), which require that financial assets measured at amortized cost be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected. The income statement reflects the measurement of credit losses for newly recognized financial assets, as well as the increases or decreases of expected credit losses that have taken place during the period. The measurement of expected credit losses is based upon historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption for fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2018 is permitted. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2020. We are currently evaluating the effect of this update on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which supersedes ASC 840, Leases. This update requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a lease asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months on its balance sheet. The update also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures surrounding leases. The accounting for lessors does not fundamentally change except for changes to conform and align guidance to the lessee guidance as well as to the new revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases and ASU 2018-11, Leases, Targeted Improvements, which provide additional clarification and implementation guidance on certain aspects of ASU 2016-02 and have the same effective date and transition requirements. Specifically, ASU 2018-10 provides certain amendments that affect narrow aspects of the guidance issued in ASU 2016-02, and ASU 2018-11 and creates an additional transition method option allowing entities to record a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance in the year of adoption. ASU 2018-11 also allows lessors to not separate nonlease components from the associated lease component if certain conditions are met. These updates will be applied using a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. We are currently evaluating the effect of this update on our consolidated financial statements. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-09, Codification Improvements. This update provides amendments to a wide variety of topics in the FASB's Accounting Standards Codification, which applies to all reporting entities within the scope of the affected accounting guidance. The transition and effective date guidance are based on the facts and circumstances of each amendment. Some of the amendments within ASU 2018-09 do not require transition guidance and were effective upon issuance. However, many amendments do have transition guidance with effective dates for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting the applicable guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which became effective for us beginning January 1, 2018. The new standard made eight targeted changes to how cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. Adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and has subsequently issued several supplemental and/or clarifying Accounting Standards Updates or ASUs (collectively “ASC 606”). ASC 606 prescribes a single common revenue standard that replaces most existing GAAP revenue recognition guidance. ASC 606 outlines a five-step model, under which Heska will recognize revenue as performance obligations within customer contracts are satisfied. ASC 606 is intended to provide more consistent interpretation and application of the principles outlined in the standard across filers in multiple industries and within the same industries compared to current practices, which should improve comparability. Along with the issuance of ASC 606, additional cost guidance was issued and codified under ASC 340-40 that outlines the requirement for capitalizing incremental costs of obtaining a contract and costs to fulfill a contract that meet certain capitalization criteria.

On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method for all customer contracts not yet completed as of the adoption date. Results for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported in accordance with the Company’s historic accounting under Topic 605, Revenue Recognition.

We recorded an increase to beginning retained earnings of $2.6 million as of January 1, 2018 due to the cumulative impact of adopting ASC 606. The impact to beginning retained earnings was primarily driven by the capitalization of certain costs to obtain our customer contracts, which were primarily sales-related commissions. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a significant impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. As a result, comparisons of revenues and operating profit performance between periods are not affected by the adoption of this ASU.

We generate our Core Companion Animal (“CCA”) segment revenue through the sale of products, either by outright purchase by our customers or through a subscription agreement whereby our customers receive instruments and pay us a monthly fee for the usage of the instrument as well as the consumables needed to conduct testing. Outright sales to customers are the majority of both Point of Care imaging diagnostic transactions and the sale of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, while subscription placement is the majority of Point of Care diagnostic laboratory transactions.

For outright sales of products, revenue is recognized when control of the promised product or service is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products or services (the transaction price). A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product or service to a customer and is the unit of account under ASC 606. For instruments, consumables, and most software licenses sold by the Company, control transfers to the customer at a point in time. To indicate the transfer of control, the Company must have a present right to payment, legal title must have passed to the customer, the customer must have the significant risks and rewards of ownership, and where acceptance is not a formality, the customer must have accepted the product or service. Heska’s principal terms of sale are FOB Shipping Point, or equivalent, and, as such, we primarily transfer control and record revenue for product sales upon shipment. If a performance obligation to the customer with respect to a sales transaction remains unfulfilled following shipment (typically owed installation or acceptance by the customer), revenue recognition for that performance obligation is deferred until such commitments have been fulfilled. We do not generally allow return of products or instruments. For extended warranty and service plans, control transfers to the customer over the term of the arrangement. Revenue for extended warranties and service is recognized based upon the period of time elapsed under the arrangement.

Our revenue under subscription agreements relate to operating-type lease (“OTL”) arrangements or sales-type lease (“STL”) arrangements. A STL would result in earlier recognition of instrument revenue as compared to an OTL, which is generally upon installation of the instruments. The cost of the customer-leased instruments is removed from inventory and recognized in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. Determination of an OTL or STL is primarily based on the length of the contract as compared to the estimated useful life of the instrument, among other factors. Leases are outside of the scope of ASC 606 and are therefore accounted for in accordance with ASC 840, Leases. Instrument lease revenue for OTL agreements is recognized on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease, and the costs of customer-leased instruments are recorded within property and equipment in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and depreciated over the instrument’s estimated useful life. The depreciation expense is reflected in cost of revenue in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The OTLs and STLs are not cancellable until after an initial term. Under either type of lease, we often charge a subscription fee and provide a minimum supply credit. OTLs may include a minimum utilization rather than a minimum supply credit.

For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the contracts' transaction price for each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis using our best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct product or service in the contract. The primary method used to estimate the standalone selling price is the price observed in standalone sales to customers. However, when prices in standalone sales are not available, we may use a cost-plus margin approach. Allocation of the transaction price is determined at the contracts' inception. The Company does not adjust the transaction price for the effects of a significant financing component when the period between the transfer of the promised good or service to the customer and payment for that good or service by the customer is expected to be one year or less. This allocation approach also applies to contracts for which a portion of the contract relates to a lease component.

We generate revenue within our Other Vaccines, Pharmaceuticals, and Products (“OVP”) segment through contract manufacturing agreements with customers. The timing of revenue recognition of our customer contracts are generally recognized upon shipment or acceptance by our customer, under the same guidelines noted above for other outright product sales. Heska assessed the over-time criteria within ASC 606 and concluded that because products within this segment have no alternative use to Heska, as Heska is contractually prohibited to redirect the product to other customers, Heska does not have right to payment for performance to date. Therefore, point in time revenue recognition has been determined to be appropriate.

Revenue generated from licensing arrangements is recognized based on the underlying term of the contract.

Refer to Note 2 for additional disclosures required by ASC 606.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU is intended to simplify aspects of share-based compensation issued to non-employees by making the guidance consistent with accounting for employee share-based compensation. ASU 2018-07 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted but no earlier than an entity’s adoption date of Topic 606. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. Adoption of the new standard is not expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The ASU permits companies to elect a reclassification of the disproportionate tax effects in accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") caused by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to retained earnings. The ASU also requires additional disclosures. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. Adoption of the new standard is not expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), which require that financial assets measured at amortized cost be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected. The income statement reflects the measurement of credit losses for newly recognized financial assets, as well as the increases or decreases of expected credit losses that have taken place during the period. The measurement of expected credit losses is based upon historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption for fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2018 is permitted. We will adopt the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2020. We are currently evaluating the effect of this update on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which supersedes ASC 840, Leases. This update requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a lease asset for all leases, including operating leases, with a term greater than 12 months on its balance sheet. The update also expands the required quantitative and qualitative disclosures surrounding leases. The accounting for lessors does not fundamentally change except for changes to conform and align guidance to the lessee guidance as well as to the new revenue recognition guidance in ASU 2014-09. This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases and ASU 2018-11, Leases, Targeted Improvements, which provide additional clarification and implementation guidance on certain aspects of ASU 2016-02 and have the same effective date and transition requirements. Specifically, ASU 2018-10 provides certain amendments that affect narrow aspects of the guidance issued in ASU 2016-02, and ASU 2018-11 and creates an additional transition method option allowing entities to record a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance in the year of adoption. ASU 2018-11 also allows lessors to not separate nonlease components from the associated lease component if certain conditions are met. These updates will be applied using a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. We are currently evaluating the effect of this update on our consolidated financial statements.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-09, Codification Improvements. This update provides amendments to a wide variety of topics in the FASB's Accounting Standards Codification, which applies to all reporting entities within the scope of the affected accounting guidance. The transition and effective date guidance are based on the facts and circumstances of each amendment. Some of the amendments within ASU 2018-09 do not require transition guidance and were effective upon issuance. However, many amendments do have transition guidance with effective dates for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting the applicable guidance on our consolidated financial statements.