v2.4.0.8

Debt - Long-term (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended									12 Months Ended				3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 28, 2013	Dec. 29, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 Private placement facilities [Member]	Apr. 30, 2012 Private placement facilities [Member] company	Aug. 10, 2010 Private placement facilities [Member] company	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities [Member] Maximum [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities [Member] Maximum Average [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities maturing in September 2020 [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities maturing in January 2024 [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities maturing in January 2022 [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Private placement facilities maturing in December 2024 [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Notes payable to banks [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 Notes payable to banks [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Various uncollateralized loans payable with interest, in varying installments [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 Various uncollateralized loans payable with interest, in varying installments [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Capital lease obligations [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 Capital lease obligations [Member]	Mar. 30, 2013 Henry Schein Animal Health debt [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 Henry Schein Animal Health debt [Member]	Feb. 21, 2013 Henry Schein Animal Health debt [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 Henry Schein Animal Health debt [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member]	Apr. 17, 2013 U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member]	Dec. 29, 2012 U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member]	Dec. 28, 2013 U.S. trade accounts receivable securitization [Member] Average Asset Backed Commercial Paper Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, amount repaid																							$ 220,000,000
Debt instrument maximum borrowing capacity							400,000,000																			300,000,000
Private placement facility additional borrowing capacity						375,000,000
Number of insurance companies providing private placement facilities (in number of insurance companies)						1	2
Term of issuances under private placement facilities								5 years	15 years	12 years
Issuance period (in years)				3 years
Date of borrowing											Sep. 02, 2010	Jan. 20, 2012	Jan. 20, 2012	Dec. 24, 2012
Due date											Sep. 02, 2020	Jan. 20, 2024	Jan. 20, 2022	Dec. 24, 2024
Private placement facility annual payment													7,100,000
Private placement facility annual payment commencement date													Jan. 20, 2016
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations including current maturities	455,674,000	506,113,000		250,000,000	250,000,000						100,000,000	50,000,000	50,000,000	50,000,000	73,000	11,352,000	44,091,000	21,178,000	1,510,000	3,144,000		0		220,439,000	160,000,000		0
Debt instrument, interest rate, stated percentage (in hundredths)											3.79%	3.45%	3.09%	3.00%
Debt instrument interest rate, stated percentage rate range minimum (in hundredths)																	2.40%
Debt instrument interest rate, stated percentage rate range maximum (in hundredths)																	5.41%
Debt instrument, interest rate, weighted-average percentage (in hundredths)															8.23%
Debt instrument,unamortized debt discount																						0		700,000
Less current maturities	(5,441,000)	(17,992,000)
Total long-term debt	450,233,000	488,121,000
Accelerated amortization of deferred financing costs	$ 6,203,000	$ 0	$ 0																		$ 6,200,000
Pricing commitment period																									3 years
Debt instrument, interest rate at period end																												0.96%
Debt instrument, variable rate basis at period end																												0.21%
Debt instrument, basis spread on variable rate																												0.75%
Commitment fee for facility usage - facility limit greater than or equal to fifty percent usage (as a percent)																									0.30%
Commitment fee for facility usage - facility limit less than fifty percent usage (as a percent)																									0.35%

X

- Definition

Commitment fee under our asset-backed securitization program, in number of basis points, on the daily balance of the unused portion of the facility if usage is less than to 50% of the facility limit.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Commitment fee under our asset-backed securitization program, in number of basis points, on the daily balance of the unused portion of the facility if usage is greater than or equal to 50% of the facility limit.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

The actual interest rate at period end for the reference rate used to compute the variable rate on the debt instrument.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Maximum number of years for which the pricing is committed under the asset-backed securitization program.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

The increase in the maximum borrowing capacity under the entity's private placement facilities.

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- Definition

Amount of long-term debt and capital lease obligations including current maturities.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

The number of insurance companies that have provided the private placement facilities.

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- Definition

Term in years of private placement facility entered into on April 30, 2012 and expiring on April 26, 2015.

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- Definition

Amount of the total principal payments made during the annual reporting period.

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- Definition

Percentage points added to the reference rate to compute the variable rate on the debt instrument.

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- Definition

Date the debt agreement requires the first payment to be made, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

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- Definition

The effective interest rate at the end of the reporting period.

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Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

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Maximum contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

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Minimum contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

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Date the debt instrument was issued, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

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- Definition

Date when the debt instrument is scheduled to be fully repaid, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

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- Definition

Face (par) amount of the original debt instrument that was repurchased.

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No definition available.

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- Definition

Period of time between issuance and maturity of debt instrument, in PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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The amount of debt discount that was originally recognized at the issuance of the instrument that has yet to be amortized.

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- Definition

Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

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- Definition

Amount of long-term debt and capital lease obligation due after one year or beyond the normal operating cycle, if longer.

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Amount of long-term debt and capital leases due within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer.

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Weighted average interest rate of long-term debt outstanding.

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- Definition

Write-off of amounts previously capitalized as debt issuance cost in an extinguishment of debt.

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