The Company (Details)	Dec. 31, 2012 Laboratory State Hospital
The Company (Textual) [Abstract]
Number of hospitals operated	609
Number of states in which hospitals are operated	41
Number of states in which the company operate a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory network	50
Number of laboratories operated	55

The number of states in which the Company operate a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory network.

No definition available.

Name:	woof_NumberOfStatesInWhichCompanyOperateFullServiceVeterinaryDiagnosticLaboratoryNetwork
Namespace Prefix:	woof_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant