11:25 p.m. UPDATE: In about 9 hours, donors have stepped up and raised more than $10,000 to cover the surgery and after care.

He’s expected to go in for surgery on Thursday.

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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A puppy brought to a Sacramento County animal shelter will require brain surgery to recover from his injuries. Thomas the puppy was found beaten last and left to fend for himself last week on the side of a Sacramento County road.

It didn’t look like the 2-month-old puppy would last long when he arrived at the shelter.

The pit bull mix had a gash in his skull. While he’s made strides with walking and getting back on his feet, staff at the Bradshaw Animal Shelter say he’ll need surgery to remove loose bone fragments resting on his brain. Those are impacting his balance, hearing, sight and cognitive processes.

“While this surgery is risky – as any brain surgery is, without it, his neurological condition is unlikely to improve and his quality of life will not be where it should be. While the ultimate outcome of the surgery is unknown, it is Thomas’s best chance at a better life,” the shelter said in a statement.

The shelter is looking for donors to help shoulder the cost of the surgery and the aftercare. The shelter estimates the surgery would start around $5,700, but with aftercare in an ICU, it could reach $10,000.

As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the fundraiser reached one-third of its $10,000 goal.