Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Allowance for uncollectible accounts	$ 23,440	$ 21,775
Liabilities and Equity
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	11,000,000	11,000,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
VCA Inc. stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	175,000,000	175,000,000
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	81,231,000	80,764,000