Calculation of Earnings per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Calculation of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share
Net income attributable to VCA Inc.	$ 54,299	$ 45,584	$ 92,600	$ 79,627
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	81,956,000	88,041,000	82,150,000	88,188,000
Effect of dilutive potential common shares:
Stock options (in shares)	334,000	265,000	337,000	260,000
Non-vested shares and units (in shares)	794,000	885,000	740,000	864,000
Diluted (in shares)	83,084,000	89,191,000	83,227,000	89,312,000
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.66	$ 0.52	$ 1.13	$ 0.90
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.51	$ 1.11	$ 0.89
Calculation of Earnings per Share (Textuals) [Abstract]
Potential common shares excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share	0	0		0