Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Millions			1 Months Ended
	Jul. 16, 2014 plaintiff	May 07, 2014 claim	Mar. 06, 2017 claim	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Potential earn-out payment | $				$ 9.2
Earn-outs | $				$ 8.6	$ 9.2
Jorge Duran vs. VCA Animal Hospitals
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Claims dismissed		4
Total claims		8
Kimba Bradsbery and Cheri Brakensiek vs. Vicar Operating, Inc.
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of plaintiffs | plaintiff	2
Hight, Moran, and Krieger vs. VCA
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of putative stockholder class action complaints			3