Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Oct. 26, 2013	Dec. 02, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 26, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	PDCO
Entity Registrant Name	PATTERSON COMPANIES, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0000891024
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--04-26
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		105,533,021