Revenue Recognition (Disaggregation of Revenue by Major Product and Service Categories) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2021	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	$ 3,215,360	$ 2,706,655	$ 2,406,908
CAG segment revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	2,889,960	2,385,765	2,119,183
CAG segment revenue | CAG Diagnostics recurring revenue:
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	2,534,562	2,113,839	1,828,329
CAG segment revenue | IDEXX VetLab consumables
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	1,006,781	824,376	693,360
CAG segment revenue | Rapid assay products
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	296,852	253,018	232,149
CAG segment revenue | Reference laboratory diagnostic and consulting services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	1,123,656	946,268	822,497
CAG segment revenue | CAG Diagnostics services and accessories
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	107,273	90,177	80,323
CAG segment revenue | CAG Diagnostics capital - instruments
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	149,140	108,950	132,685
CAG segment revenue | Veterinary software, services and diagnostic imaging systems
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	206,258	162,976	158,169
Water segment revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	146,505	128,625	132,850
LPD segment revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	135,887	145,845	132,635
Other segment revenue
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total revenue	$ 43,008	$ 46,420	$ 22,240